Rachel Sennott joins the video call and right away starts an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, appearing really apologetic. Although she's only slightly delayed, she needs to clarify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, in this context, this is exactly what one hopes to hear. Moreover, it’s quite expected. Those who know the fearlessly openly gay and brash movie Bottoms—which she penned with her creative partner and appeared in alongside close companion Ayo Edebiri—will understand that she has plenty to discuss, be it on identity, intimacy, or the merits of forming a youth brawl society. Plus, after watching the latest multi-episode HBO series titled I Love LA, it is clear that she has even more perspectives on the darker side of modern youth (At 30, Sennott is a bridge of the gang, on the cusp adept for straddling millennials and Gen Z).
Guiding Lights and Storytelling Approach
Parallels to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and Sennott readily acknowledges enthusiastic, referencing the show together with the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as inspirations for I Love LA, which tracks the struggles of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion and fledgling representative portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the largest spot on concept went to the popular sitcom, the show about an emerging A-list actor succeeding in an often-seedy LA scene (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She started watching it throughout the pandemic, became “obsessed”, and decided to put her own twist on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she notes. The concept for this project originated—to some extent—from her own, at first rocky, transition to Tinseltown and from the cosmic event, a frequently discussed event for followers. This represented an era that saw her understand major life lessons, in her career and personally. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she recalls. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Starting Out
Raised in the East Coast, Sennott began writing and performing comedy while pursuing performance at a prestigious arts school. “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. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She took matters into her own hands, performing at open mics with her friend and sharing uproarious (and very) unconventional skits on the internet. One, titled Baby Cult, followed several females intensely drawn to having babies; a different one envisioned being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being stuck in a horror film. In a neat twist of fate, she connected with Seligman through the university’s film scene and ultimately starring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a funeral gathering with hints of the intense thriller. The central motif of her path, she notes, has been peers giving her a shot, instead of the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, continuing amusedly: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Manifesting Dreams
Those who had doubts about Sennott then will likely be kicking themselves currently. As part of she calls a “incredibly circular” turn of events, she appears to manifested an ideal role. Previously she posted a video named about Los Angeles on the internet, in which she lampooned movie previews (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Years later, she’s the co-showrunner (with the co-writer) of a series about Angelenos juggling the perks of digital stardom (such as socializing at a famous actor’s house) with drawbacks (your client being accused of being a substance-abusing thief, and possibly becoming a risky outcast). It would be easy to make a show about online fame that was extremely glamorous—or, more problematic, one that punched down at those depicted. This show avoids both, resulting in a representation of privileged young adult living that’s honest about the grot and the glamour.
Balanced Perspective
“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
