Rachel Sennott appears on the online meeting and right away starts an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she says, seeming genuinely regretful. She is only a couple of minutes delayed, she wants to clarify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Fortunately, during an interview, that’s just what one hopes to encounter. Moreover, it’s quite predictable. Anyone who know her unapologetically openly gay and unapologetically crass film titled Bottoms—which she penned with the director and starred in alongside her friend The Bear’s standout—will be aware that Sennott possesses much to say, ranging from about roles, sex, or the appeal of starting a high-school combat group. Plus, once you finish the latest eight-part show titled I Love LA, viewers realize that she holds additional perspectives on the struggles of modern youth (As a millennial, Sennott represents a bridge for this generation, on the cusp adept for straddling both generations).
Influences and Artistic Direction
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show are inevitable and Sennott admits to being an admirer, citing it together with the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and the innovative program as inspirations for I Love LA, which tracks the struggles of an influencer Tallulah and ally who is also fledgling talent manager Sennott’s character. However, the biggest presence on creative vision belonged to the popular sitcom, the program about an up-and-coming A-list actor making his way in a gritty entertainment industry (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott began viewing it throughout COVID-19, became “hooked”, and decided to add a fresh perspective 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 notes. The inspiration for this project came—partly—from her own, initially fractious, relocation to Los Angeles and from the cosmic event, a popular occurrence for enthusiasts. This represented a time that saw her grasp significant life lessons, work-wise and individually. “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 was almost like these biblical tests …”
Starting Out
Raised in New England, the star began writing and performing humor while studying performance at NYU’s Tisch. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she says. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “None of the university plays cast me either.” “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
She took matters into her own hands, appearing at live shows with her friend and sharing hilarious (and decidedly) weird skits on the internet. One, Baby Cult, centered on several females obsessively drawn to having babies; another envisioned being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being trapped in a scary movie. Interestingly, she met Seligman through NYU’s movie community and ended up appearing in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a tense film set at a religious event with shades of Uncut Gems. The central motif of her path, she says, has been people her own age giving her a shot, rather than traditional networks. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Definitely not them”, she repeats, continuing humorously: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Career Breakthrough
Anyone who had doubts regarding Sennott then will likely be kicking themselves currently. In what she calls a “incredibly circular” story, she seems to have achieved her dream vehicle. Previously she shared a video titled on LA life online, in which she parodied film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with the co-writer) of a comedy about city dwellers balancing the perks of online celebrity (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with its pitfalls (your client being labeled as being a drug-addled thief, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). It would be tempting to make a program about internet celebrity that was extremely glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at those depicted. I Love LA does neither, creating a depiction of privileged young adult living that’s candid about the chaos and the glamour.
Nuanced Portrayal
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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
