Rachel Sennott appears on the digital interview and immediately starts an apology. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, sounding truly apologetic. Despite being only a bit delayed, she wants to justify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Luckily, in this context, this is just what is ideal to hear. Besides, it’s fairly predictable. Those who have seen the unapologetically queer and outspoken film Bottoms—that Sennott co-wrote with Emma Seligman and appeared in together with her friend the talented actress—will understand that Sennott possesses plenty to say, whether about identity, intimacy, or the appeal of starting a high-school fight club. And, after watching the latest seasonal HBO series titled I Love LA, it is clear that she holds additional thoughts on the struggles of modern youth (At 30, Sennott serves as a relatable figure for this generation, straddling eras skilled for straddling millennials and Gen Z).
Influences and Storytelling Approach
Parallels to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and the actress is enthusiastic, referencing the show in addition to the classic series, Insecure and the innovative program as inspirations for I Love LA, which tracks the journey of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion and fledgling talent manager Maia. Notably, the biggest influence on creative vision belonged to Entourage, the show about an emerging celebrity navigating in a corrupt entertainment industry (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She discovered it during COVID-19, became “hooked”, and decided to create a new version on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she notes. The concept for this project originated—to some extent—from personal, originally fractious, move to Tinseltown and from the astrological phase, a much-talked-about phenomenon for followers. This represented a time that involved her grasp major truths, professionally and individually. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she recalls. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Early Beginnings
Growing up in the East Coast, Sennott started creating and acting comedy while pursuing acting at a prestigious arts school. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she explains. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, performing at amateur nights with Edebiri and posting hysterical (and very) unconventional skits digitally. A particular video, Baby Cult, centered on a group of women intensely fixated on having babies; another portrayed working at a trendy retail outlet as like being trapped in a scary movie. Interestingly, she encountered Emma through NYU’s movie community and ended up featuring in her initial project, Shiva Baby, a tense film set at a religious event with echoes of Uncut Gems. A recurring idea of her journey, she explains, has been people her own age supporting her, rather than established gatekeepers. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, continuing with a laugh: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Rising Success
Anyone who questioned about Sennott then will surely be kicking themselves currently. As part of she calls a “astonishingly complete” turn of events, she has manifested the perfect project. In 2019 she shared content named “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a comedy about LA residents juggling the perks of internet fame (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your associate being suspected of being a substance-abusing stealer, and perhaps becoming a unreliable pariah). One might tempting to produce a show about internet celebrity that was overly glamorous—or, worse, one that belittled at those depicted. I Love LA does neither, making for a portrait of privileged millennial existence that’s frank about the grot and the glamour.
Balanced Perspective
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” she says. “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
