Rachel Sennott enters the online meeting and right away starts an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she says, sounding genuinely apologetic. Despite being only a bit behind, she feels compelled to explain. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Thankfully, during an interview, this is exactly what one hopes to hear. Besides, it’s pretty predictable. Viewers who know the unapologetically queer and unapologetically crass movie Bottoms—which Sennott penned with her creative partner and starred in alongside close companion Ayo Edebiri—will already know that she has a lot to discuss, ranging from on roles, relationships, or the merits of forming a teen brawl society. And, once you finish the latest seasonal show I Love LA, viewers realize that the star carries even more thoughts about the struggles of Gen Z life (At 30, she represents a bridge for this generation, on the cusp with a knack for bridging millennials and Gen Z).
Influences and Storytelling Approach
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show are inevitable and the actress readily acknowledges a fan, citing it in addition to the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as influences for I Love LA, which follows the journey of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion and aspiring representative Maia. However, the largest influence on creative vision belonged to Entourage, the HBO sitcom depicting an up-and-coming A-list actor navigating in an often-seedy Hollywood (memorable line: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott started watching it amid COVID-19, became “captivated”, and chose to put her own twist on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she says. The inspiration for this project originated—to some extent—from her own, originally difficult, transition to Tinseltown and from the saturn return, a popular event for astrology heads. This represented a time that involved her grasp significant life lessons, work-wise and in private life. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she admits. “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…”
Humble Origins
Raised in the East Coast, the star began writing and performing stand-up while enrolled in performance at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she explains. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” 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.”
She seized control, taking the stage at open mics with Ayo and uploading uproarious (and decidedly) bizarre online content online. A particular video, Baby Cult, followed several females obsessively fixated on motherhood; a different one portrayed working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being trapped in a thriller. Interestingly, she encountered Seligman through the university’s film scene and ended up featuring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, a tense film set at a Jewish wake with hints of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her journey, she notes, has been peers giving her a shot, instead of traditional networks. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, continuing with a laugh: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Career Breakthrough
Individuals who questioned about her then will certainly be kicking themselves today. Through she describes as a “incredibly circular” turn of events, she appears to achieved an ideal role. In 2019 she uploaded content called on LA life online, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a show about LA residents balancing the perks of digital stardom (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being suspected of being a drug-addled criminal, and perhaps becoming a “brand unsafe” pariah). It would be simple to make a show about internet celebrity that was overly idealized—or, more problematic, one that belittled at its subjects. I Love LA avoids both, making for a representation of privileged twentysomething living that’s frank about the grot and the shine.
Nuanced Portrayal
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” she comments. “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
