Rachel Sennott joins the video call and immediately launches into an apology. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she states, sounding really apologetic. Despite being only slightly behind, she needs to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Thankfully, for a writer, that’s exactly what one hopes to experience. Besides, it’s pretty unsurprising. Anyone familiar with her fearlessly LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass film Bottoms—that Sennott co-wrote with Emma Seligman and starred in with close companion the talented actress—can be aware that Sennott holds much to say, whether on gender, sex, or the pros of creating a teen fight club. Furthermore, once you finish the recent eight-part program titled I Love LA, it is clear that the star holds further perspectives regarding the struggles of modern youth (Now in her thirties, Sennott represents an honorary member of the gang, on the cusp adept for bridging different age groups).
Influences and Creative Vision
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show are inevitable and the actress is enthusiastic, naming it in addition to the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and the innovative program as influences for I Love LA, which tracks the travails of online personality Tallulah and close companion who is also aspiring agent Maia. Notably, the biggest influence on concept belonged to Entourage, that program depicting a rising Hollywood star navigating in an often-seedy entertainment industry (memorable line: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She started watching it during COVID-19, became “hooked”, and chose to put her own twist 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 says. The inspiration for the series originated—to some extent—from personal, initially rocky, transition to Los Angeles and from the saturn return, a frequently discussed occurrence for enthusiasts. This represented an era that included her learn major life lessons, professionally and personally. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she says. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Early Beginnings
Brought up in New England, Sennott began creating and acting stand-up while studying theatre 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 states. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
She decided to act independently, appearing at amateur nights with Ayo and uploading hysterical (and decidedly) bizarre online content online. One, titled Baby Cult, centered on characters intensely drawn to motherhood; another portrayed being employed at the brand Hollister as like being trapped in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she connected with Emma through NYU’s movie community and eventually starring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a Jewish wake with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her career, she notes, has been people her own age giving her a shot, as opposed to the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, stating with a laugh: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Anyone who questioned about her earlier will certainly be kicking themselves today. In what she labels a “wild, full-circle” turn of events, she seems to have created an ideal role. A few years back she posted a video named on LA life on social media, in which she mocked film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about LA residents juggling benefits of internet fame (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with drawbacks (your friend being accused of being a intoxicated thief, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). Some could tempting to make a series about internet celebrity that was extremely glamorous—or, more problematic, one that belittled at those depicted. The series steers clear of each, creating a depiction of affluent millennial living that’s frank about the chaos and the appeal.
Balanced Perspective
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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
