Rachel Sennott appears on the online meeting and immediately begins an apology. “Apologies for the delay!” she exclaims, seeming genuinely remorseful. Although she's only a couple of minutes late, she needs to clarify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Fortunately, for a writer, this is exactly what is ideal to encounter. Besides, it’s pretty unsurprising. Those familiar with the fearlessly openly gay and outspoken film titled Bottoms—that she penned with Emma Seligman and featured in alongside collaborator the talented actress—can already know that Sennott possesses much to say, whether on identity, relationships, or the appeal of creating a youth combat group. Plus, after watching her recent eight-part show titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star holds even more thoughts regarding the struggles of young adulthood (At 30, she represents an honorary member for this generation, a tale-end millennial with a knack for straddling both generations).
Influences and Creative Vision
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s Girls can’t be avoided and Sennott readily acknowledges an admirer, referencing it in addition to the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and Donald Glover’s series as inspirations for I Love LA, which follows the journey of a social media star Tallulah and close companion and new talent manager portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the most significant influence on the moodboard went to the HBO series, that program depicting an up-and-coming Hollywood star navigating in a gritty entertainment industry (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott started watching it during the pandemic, became “hooked”, and resolved to add a fresh perspective 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 says. The concept for this project came—in part—from firsthand, originally fractious, relocation to Tinseltown and from the cosmic event, a frequently discussed phenomenon for astrology heads. That period marked a time that involved her learn major insights, in her career and personally. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she recalls. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Early Beginnings
Brought up in the East Coast, Sennott commenced writing and performing humor while enrolled in performance at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she states. “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.”
She decided to act independently, appearing at open mics with Edebiri and sharing hilarious (and very) unconventional skits on the internet. One, Baby Cult, depicted several females intensely fixated on having babies; another envisioned working at a trendy retail outlet as similar to being stuck in a horror film. Interestingly, she connected with Emma through NYU’s movie community and eventually featuring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, a tense comedy set at a religious event with shades of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her journey, she says, has been contemporaries supporting her, as opposed to established gatekeepers. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “They were not involved”, she repeats, stating humorously: “They don’t want us to win.”
Rising Success
Those who were skeptical about Sennott previously will certainly be feeling foolish now. As part of she labels a “incredibly circular” story, she seems to have achieved an ideal role. Previously she uploaded content titled about Los Angeles on the internet, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a series about LA residents managing advantages of digital stardom (such as partying at a famous actor’s house) with downsides (your friend being accused of being a substance-abusing thief, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). It would be simple to create a show about online fame that was extremely idealized—or, more problematic, one that punched down at the characters. I Love LA avoids both, resulting in a depiction of privileged twentysomething life that’s honest about the grot and the appeal.
Balanced Perspective
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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
