Rachel Sennott enters the digital interview and immediately launches into an apology. “Apologies for the delay!” she exclaims, appearing really regretful. Although she's only slightly 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, this is precisely what one hopes to experience. Additionally, it’s pretty expected. Anyone familiar with the boldly openly gay and outspoken movie titled Bottoms—that she collaborated on with Emma Seligman and appeared in alongside close companion the talented actress—will understand that Sennott possesses much to share, whether on gender, sex, or the appeal of starting a teen brawl society. And, after watching the latest eight-part show I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star carries further thoughts on the darker side of Gen Z life (Now in her thirties, she is a relatable figure for this generation, a tale-end millennial adept for connecting both generations).
Inspirations and Storytelling Approach
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show are inevitable and Sennott readily acknowledges enthusiastic, citing it together with Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as influences for the project, which details the journey of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion who is also aspiring agent Maia. Notably, the most significant spot on creative vision belonged to Entourage, that HBO sitcom focusing on an emerging Hollywood star succeeding in a corrupt Hollywood (notable statement: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott began viewing it during COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and decided to create a new version on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she notes. The idea for the series originated—to some extent—from her own, initially rocky, move to LA and from the cosmic event, a much-talked-about phenomenon for enthusiasts. It was an era that saw her grasp some big life lessons, professionally and personally. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she says. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Humble Origins
Brought up in the East Coast, Sennott commenced creating and acting comedy while enrolled in acting at NYU’s Tisch. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she explains. “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. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
Sennott seized control, taking the stage at live shows with Edebiri and sharing hilarious (and distinctly) weird online content online. A particular video, Baby Cult, centered on a group of women fetishistically fixated on motherhood; another portrayed being employed at the brand Hollister as like being trapped in a scary movie. Interestingly, she connected with Seligman through the university’s film scene and ultimately starring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a religious event with shades of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The big theme of her path, she explains, has been peers supporting her, rather than the industry at large. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, stating with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”
Rising Success
Those who were skeptical about Sennott previously will certainly be kicking themselves today. As part of she calls a “wild, full-circle” turn of events, she has achieved the perfect project. A few years back she uploaded content named “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she parodied film promos (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Six years on, she’s the co-showrunner (with the co-writer) of a series about LA residents balancing advantages of online celebrity (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your friend being labeled as being a intoxicated thief, and potentially becoming a unreliable pariah). One might simple to make a program about internet celebrity that was horribly idealized—or, worse, one that mocked at its subjects. The series avoids both, making for a representation of privileged twentysomething existence that’s frank about the mess and the appeal.
Nuanced Portrayal
“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” 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
