Rachel Sennott enters the online meeting and immediately begins an explanation. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, sounding really regretful. Although she's only slightly behind, she wants to explain. “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!” Fortunately, in this context, this is just what you want to hear. Besides, it’s fairly unsurprising. Those familiar with her boldly queer and outspoken movie titled Bottoms—that Sennott co-wrote with Emma Seligman and featured in with collaborator the talented actress—will be aware that she holds much to discuss, be it on identity, intimacy, or the appeal of forming a youth brawl society. And, after watching her new multi-episode show I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star holds further thoughts about the darker side of young adulthood (As a millennial, Sennott serves as a bridge of the gang, a tale-end millennial with a knack for straddling different age groups).
Guiding Lights and Storytelling Approach
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and Sennott is an admirer, referencing it alongside Sex and the City, Insecure and the innovative program as guides for her series, which follows the travails of an influencer Tallulah and ally who is also aspiring agent Maia. However, the most significant presence on creative vision was reserved for the HBO series, that program focusing on an emerging celebrity navigating in an often-seedy Hollywood (memorable line: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott started watching it throughout COVID-19, became “hooked”, and decided to add a fresh perspective on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she explains. The inspiration for I Love LA emerged—to some extent—from her own, at first fractious, transition to Los Angeles and from the cosmic event, a much-talked-about event for astrology heads. This represented a phase that included her grasp some big truths, work-wise and personally. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she recalls. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Starting Out
Raised in New England, Sennott began creating and acting comedy while pursuing performance at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” 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. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
Sennott seized control, appearing at open mics with Ayo and sharing hysterical (and distinctly) weird online content digitally. A particular video, Baby Cult, depicted characters intensely drawn to motherhood; another portrayed working at a trendy retail outlet as akin to being stuck in a horror film. Interestingly, she met Seligman through the university’s film scene and eventually appearing in her initial project, Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a religious event with shades of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her career, she says, has been peers giving her a shot, rather than established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, stating humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Rising Success
Anyone who were skeptical regarding Sennott then will certainly be feeling foolish currently. As part of she calls a “incredibly circular” story, she appears to created the perfect project. In 2019 she uploaded content titled about Los Angeles online, in which she mocked movie previews (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with her partner) of a show about Angelenos balancing benefits of internet fame (such as celebrating at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being labeled as being a substance-abusing criminal, and possibly becoming a risky outcast). Some could simple to make a program about online fame that was extremely aspirational—or, even less favorable, one that mocked at its subjects. This show does neither, creating a representation of advantaged young adult living that’s frank about the grot and the glamour.
Empathetic Approach
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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
