Rachel Sennott enters the online meeting and right away launches into an explanation. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she states, appearing truly regretful. Although she's only a couple of minutes late, she feels compelled to clarify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Luckily, in this context, this is precisely what you want to hear. Additionally, it’s pretty predictable. Anyone who know her fearlessly queer and unapologetically crass movie titled Bottoms—which she collaborated on with her creative partner and featured in with collaborator the talented actress—would already know that Sennott has plenty to say, whether about gender, sex, or the merits of forming a high-school brawl society. Plus, by the end her recent multi-episode show titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she holds further thoughts on the challenges of Gen Z life (As a millennial, Sennott serves as a relatable figure for this generation, a tale-end millennial with a knack for connecting both generations).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and the actress readily acknowledges an admirer, naming the show together with the classic series, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as inspirations for her series, which details the struggles of an influencer Tallulah and her friend and fledgling talent manager Maia. However, the largest influence on creative vision was reserved for the HBO series, that program depicting a rising celebrity succeeding in a corrupt LA scene (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She began viewing it throughout lockdown, became “hooked”, and resolved to put her own twist on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she says. The concept for I Love LA came—to some extent—from her own, originally rocky, relocation to LA and from her saturn return, a frequently discussed event for followers. That period marked a phase that saw her grasp significant truths, professionally and personally. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she says. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Early Beginnings
Brought up in New England, Sennott started developing and showcasing stand-up while enrolled in theatre at NYU’s Tisch. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she explains. “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. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She took matters into her own hands, performing at open mics with Ayo and posting hysterical (and decidedly) bizarre comedy videos on the internet. One, titled Baby Cult, followed characters obsessively obsessed with motherhood; another portrayed working at a trendy retail outlet as similar to being stuck in a thriller. In a neat twist of fate, she encountered Emma through campus film circles and ultimately starring in her initial project, Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a Jewish wake with hints of the intense thriller. The central motif of her path, she notes, has been people her own age offering opportunities, instead of established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, adding humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Anyone who were skeptical about Sennott previously will certainly be regretting it today. In what she calls a “astonishingly complete” turn of events, she has created the perfect project. A few years back she uploaded a video named about Los Angeles online, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with her partner) of a comedy about Angelenos managing advantages of online celebrity (such as celebrating at Elijah Wood’s house) with drawbacks (your associate being accused of being a substance-abusing criminal, and possibly becoming a risky pariah). It would be tempting to make a show about digital influence that was extremely idealized—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at the characters. This show avoids both, creating a portrait of advantaged young adult living that’s honest about the grot and the glamour.
Nuanced Portrayal
“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
