Rachel Sennott appears on the digital interview and immediately begins an apology. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, appearing truly regretful. Although she's only a couple of minutes delayed, she feels compelled to clarify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, during an interview, this is just what one hopes to hear. Besides, it’s pretty predictable. Viewers familiar with her fearlessly LGBTQ+ and outspoken film Bottoms—that Sennott co-wrote with her creative partner and appeared in alongside her friend the talented actress—can be aware that Sennott possesses plenty to discuss, whether about roles, intimacy, or the appeal of forming a high-school brawl society. And, after watching her latest multi-episode show I Love LA, viewers realize that the star carries even more insights about the darker side of young adulthood (Now in her thirties, she represents a bridge for this generation, a tale-end millennial adept for bridging different age groups).
Inspirations and Storytelling Approach
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and the actress admits to being an admirer, naming the show together with the HBO hit, Insecure and Atlanta as influences for the project, which follows the travails of a social media star Tallulah and her friend and aspiring agent Sennott’s character. However, the biggest presence on the moodboard was reserved for Entourage, that HBO sitcom about a rising A-list actor succeeding in an often-seedy entertainment industry (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott started watching it amid the pandemic, became “captivated”, and decided to put her own twist on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she explains. The idea for I Love LA emerged—to some extent—from her own, originally rocky, relocation to LA and from her saturn return, a frequently discussed phenomenon for enthusiasts. This represented an era that involved her understand major truths, professionally and personally. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she recalls. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Early Beginnings
Brought up in New England, the star started creating and acting comedy while pursuing performance at NYU’s Tisch. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she explains. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, appearing at live shows with Ayo and sharing hilarious (and decidedly) weird skits online. A particular video, Baby Cult, followed several females fetishistically drawn to motherhood; a different one imagined working at a trendy retail outlet as like being stuck in a thriller. By chance, she connected with Emma through NYU’s movie community and ended up starring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a funeral gathering with hints of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her career, she says, has been peers giving her a shot, instead of the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she confirms, stating amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Anyone who had doubts regarding her then will likely be feeling foolish now. In what she describes as a “astonishingly complete” development, she appears to manifested her dream vehicle. A few years back she uploaded a clip called “it’s LA” on social media, in which she lampooned movie previews (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with the co-writer) of a series about LA residents balancing the perks of online celebrity (such as celebrating at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your friend being suspected of being a substance-abusing thief, and perhaps becoming a risky outcast). One might tempting to make a program about online fame that was overly glamorous—or, more problematic, one that belittled at those depicted. I Love LA does neither, creating a depiction of advantaged millennial living that’s candid about the chaos and the shine.
Empathetic Approach
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” she observes. “I think that young people have been through a lot – I’m mostly thinking of people younger than me, like my little sister, who went to college during Covid, so she had to come home, or my other sister who was doing school online.”|“The younger generation has faced significant
