Rachel Sennott appears on the digital interview and right away starts an apology. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, seeming really regretful. She is only slightly delayed, she feels compelled to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Luckily, during an interview, that’s exactly what one hopes to encounter. Moreover, it’s quite predictable. Viewers who know the boldly queer and unapologetically crass movie titled Bottoms—that Sennott collaborated on with Emma Seligman and starred in with close companion the talented actress—can be aware that she has plenty to share, ranging from about identity, intimacy, or the appeal of creating a teen fight club. And, once you finish the latest eight-part program titled I Love LA, it is clear that she has even more thoughts on the darker side of Gen Z life (Now in her thirties, she represents a relatable figure of the gang, on the cusp with a knack for bridging millennials and Gen Z).
Guiding Lights and Storytelling Approach
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s Girls can’t be avoided and Sennott readily acknowledges a fan, citing it in addition to the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and the innovative program as inspirations for the project, which tracks the journey of an influencer Tallulah and ally who is also new representative Maia. Perhaps, the largest influence on concept was reserved for the HBO series, that HBO sitcom focusing on an emerging celebrity navigating in a gritty entertainment industry (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott began viewing it during the pandemic, became “hooked”, and resolved to add a fresh perspective 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 explains. The inspiration for I Love LA originated—in part—from firsthand, at first fractious, transition to LA and from her cosmic event, a frequently discussed event for followers. This represented a time that included her grasp some big insights, in her career and in private life. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she recalls. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Humble Origins
Growing up in the East Coast, the star commenced creating and acting comedy while studying acting at NYU’s Tisch. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” 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. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
Sennott decided to act independently, appearing at amateur nights with Edebiri and sharing uproarious (and very) weird comedy videos on the internet. One, titled Baby Cult, centered on characters fetishistically obsessed with having babies; another imagined working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being caught in a horror film. Interestingly, she encountered Emma through campus film circles and eventually appearing in her first film, Shiva Baby, a stressful comedy set at a Jewish wake with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The big theme of her journey, she says, has been peers offering opportunities, instead of the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Not the gatekeepers”, she repeats, stating humorously: “They don’t want us to win.”
Manifesting Dreams
Those who were skeptical about Sennott then will certainly be kicking themselves currently. As part of she calls a “wild, full-circle” development, she appears to manifested an ideal role. A few years back she shared a clip titled “it’s LA” online, in which she parodied movie previews (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Years later, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a comedy about Angelenos juggling the perks of digital stardom (such as celebrating at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your associate being labeled as being a substance-abusing criminal, and perhaps becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). One might easy to make a program about internet celebrity that was overly glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that belittled at the characters. The series avoids both, creating a portrait of advantaged millennial living that’s frank about the mess and the glamour.
Nuanced Portrayal
“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
