Rachel Sennott enters the digital interview and right away launches into an excuse. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she states, seeming truly remorseful. Although she's only slightly delayed, she feels compelled to justify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Fortunately, in this context, that’s exactly what you want to encounter. Besides, it’s fairly predictable. Viewers familiar with the unapologetically queer and unapologetically crass movie titled Bottoms—that Sennott collaborated on with Emma Seligman and appeared in with close companion The Bear’s standout—would already know that she holds much to say, ranging from on gender, intimacy, or the appeal of starting a high-school combat group. Plus, after watching the latest eight-part HBO series titled I Love LA, viewers realize that she holds further thoughts regarding the struggles of Gen Z life (Now in her thirties, she represents a relatable figure to younger audiences, straddling eras with a knack for straddling both generations).
Influences and Artistic Direction
Parallels to the iconic series Girls can’t be avoided and the actress admits to being an admirer, referencing the show together with Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and Donald Glover’s series as inspirations for the project, which details the travails of online personality Tallulah and close companion and aspiring representative portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the largest influence on the moodboard belonged to Entourage, the program depicting a rising Hollywood star making his way in a gritty LA scene (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She discovered it amid the pandemic, became “hooked”, and decided to create a new version on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she says. The concept for I Love LA came—to some extent—from firsthand, originally difficult, transition to LA and from the astrological phase, a popular event for enthusiasts. It was a time that included her learn significant insights, professionally and individually. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she says. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Humble Origins
Growing up in the East Coast, the star commenced writing and performing humor while pursuing theatre at a prestigious arts school. “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. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She decided to act independently, appearing at live shows with Ayo and sharing hysterical (and distinctly) bizarre skits on the internet. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, followed characters fetishistically obsessed with motherhood; another portrayed being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being trapped in a scary movie. By chance, she encountered Seligman through the university’s film scene and eventually appearing in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a funeral gathering with shades of Uncut Gems. A recurring idea of her journey, she notes, has been contemporaries supporting her, instead of traditional networks. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, continuing with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”
Manifesting Dreams
Anyone who were skeptical about Sennott earlier will likely be regretting it now. As part of she describes as a “incredibly circular” story, she seems to have created an ideal role. In 2019 she shared content called “it’s LA” on social media, in which she parodied film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with the co-writer) of a show about LA residents managing benefits of internet fame (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with downsides (your friend being labeled as being a intoxicated thief, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). It would be easy to create a show about online fame that was extremely glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that mocked at the characters. This show avoids both, creating a representation of advantaged young adult living that’s candid about the chaos and the glamour.
Empathetic Approach
“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
