Rachel Sennott joins the online meeting and right away begins an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, sounding genuinely remorseful. She is only a couple of minutes delayed, she feels compelled to clarify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Luckily, during an interview, that’s exactly what one hopes to experience. Besides, it’s quite predictable. Viewers familiar with the fearlessly LGBTQ+ and outspoken project titled Bottoms—which she co-wrote with her creative partner and appeared in together with close companion Ayo Edebiri—will be aware that Sennott possesses a lot to discuss, whether on gender, intimacy, or the merits of creating a youth combat group. And, by the end the new eight-part program titled I Love LA, viewers realize that she holds even more thoughts regarding the darker side of modern youth (As a millennial, Sennott serves as a relatable figure to younger audiences, on the cusp skilled for straddling millennials and Gen Z).
Influences and Creative Vision
Likenesses to the iconic series Girls can’t be avoided and Sennott readily acknowledges a fan, naming the show alongside the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as influences for I Love LA, which tracks the struggles of online personality Tallulah and ally and fledgling agent Maia. However, the most significant spot on creative vision went to the HBO series, the show about an emerging Hollywood star making his way in a gritty Hollywood (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She started watching it amid COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and chose to create a new version on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she explains. The idea for I Love LA originated—to some extent—from her own, originally fractious, move to LA and from the astrological phase, a popular occurrence for astrology heads. This represented a time that saw her grasp some big life lessons, in her career and individually. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she says. “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
Growing up in Connecticut, the star began developing and showcasing humor while enrolled in performance at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she states. “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. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
Sennott decided to act independently, appearing at live shows with Ayo and uploading uproarious (and distinctly) unconventional skits digitally. A particular video, Baby Cult, centered on several females obsessively obsessed with pregnancy; a different one envisioned being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being stuck in a horror film. By chance, she connected with Emma through NYU’s movie community and ended up featuring in her initial project, Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a Jewish wake with shades of the intense thriller. The big theme of her career, she notes, has been peers offering opportunities, as opposed to established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, adding with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”
Manifesting Dreams
Anyone who were skeptical regarding Sennott previously will likely be regretting it today. Through she labels a “incredibly circular” development, she has achieved the perfect project. In 2019 she posted a video titled “it’s LA” on social media, in which she mocked movie previews (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with the co-writer) of a show about LA residents balancing benefits of digital stardom (such as socializing at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your associate being labeled as being a intoxicated thief, and potentially becoming a risky pariah). One might easy to create a show about internet celebrity that was extremely idealized—or, worse, one that punched down at its subjects. I Love LA avoids both, creating a depiction of advantaged young adult living that’s candid about the grot and the appeal.
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
