Rachel Sennott joins the online meeting and right away starts an excuse. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, sounding really regretful. Although she's only slightly behind, she feels compelled to clarify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Luckily, during an interview, this is just what one hopes to hear. Moreover, it’s quite unsurprising. Anyone familiar with her boldly LGBTQ+ and outspoken film titled Bottoms—that she co-wrote with the director and appeared in together with collaborator The Bear’s standout—will be aware that she possesses a lot to share, whether on roles, sex, or the merits of forming a youth brawl society. And, once you finish her latest eight-part program I Love LA, viewers realize that the star holds additional insights on the challenges of modern youth (As a millennial, she represents a bridge for this generation, straddling eras with a knack for bridging both generations).
Guiding Lights and Storytelling Approach
Likenesses to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and Sennott is enthusiastic, referencing the show together with the classic series, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as influences for the project, which follows the struggles of an influencer Tallulah and close companion who is also fledgling agent Maia. Perhaps, the most significant spot on creative vision was reserved for the popular sitcom, that program focusing on an up-and-coming A-list actor succeeding in a corrupt Hollywood (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott started watching it during lockdown, 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 notes. The inspiration for this project came—partly—from firsthand, originally rocky, move to LA and from her astrological phase, a frequently discussed occurrence for astrology heads. This represented a phase that included her learn major life lessons, professionally and in private life. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she admits. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Humble Origins
Raised in New England, Sennott started developing and showcasing stand-up while enrolled in performance at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she says. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “None of the university plays cast me either.” “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
She seized control, performing at open mics with Ayo and sharing hysterical (and very) bizarre online content online. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, centered on characters obsessively drawn to having babies; another imagined working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being stuck in a thriller. Interestingly, she connected with Seligman through the university’s film scene and ultimately starring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a funeral gathering with hints of Uncut Gems. The central motif of her path, she notes, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, as opposed to the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, stating humorously: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Rising Success
Those who had doubts regarding her then will certainly be kicking themselves today. Through she labels a “incredibly circular” development, she has created her dream vehicle. A few years back she posted a video named “it’s LA” on social media, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a comedy about city dwellers managing benefits of internet fame (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your client being labeled as being a drug-addled criminal, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). One might easy to create a show about online fame that was extremely aspirational—or, more problematic, one that punched down at the characters. I Love LA avoids both, resulting in a representation of privileged millennial existence that’s frank about the mess and the appeal.
Nuanced Portrayal
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” she says. “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
