Rachel Sennott appears on the digital interview and at once begins an explanation. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, seeming genuinely remorseful. She is only a couple of minutes delayed, she feels compelled to clarify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, for a writer, that’s just what one hopes to experience. Moreover, it’s pretty unsurprising. Those who have seen the fearlessly queer and brash film titled Bottoms—that Sennott collaborated on with her creative partner and starred in together with close companion Ayo Edebiri—will already know that she holds a lot to say, ranging from on gender, intimacy, or the merits of forming a high-school brawl society. Plus, once you finish the latest eight-part HBO series titled I Love LA, viewers realize that the star holds further thoughts about the darker side of modern youth (At 30, Sennott represents a bridge to younger audiences, straddling eras skilled for straddling millennials and Gen Z).
Inspirations and Creative Vision
Likenesses to the iconic series Girls can’t be avoided and Sennott readily acknowledges an admirer, referencing it in addition to the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as guides for her series, which tracks the travails of a social media star Tallulah and close companion who is also aspiring agent Sennott’s character. However, the largest spot on creative vision went to the popular sitcom, the program depicting an emerging celebrity navigating in a gritty LA scene (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott began viewing it amid lockdown, became “captivated”, and decided to add a fresh perspective 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 inspiration for I Love LA originated—partly—from personal, originally rocky, transition to LA and from the cosmic event, a much-talked-about phenomenon for enthusiasts. That period marked an era that involved her learn major life lessons, work-wise and individually. “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. It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Starting Out
Brought up in Connecticut, Sennott commenced creating and acting stand-up while pursuing theatre at NYU’s Tisch. “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.” “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, performing at live shows with her friend and sharing uproarious (and very) unconventional comedy videos online. A particular video, Baby Cult, depicted several females obsessively drawn to motherhood; another imagined working at the brand Hollister as akin to being caught in a horror film. Interestingly, she connected with Seligman through campus film circles and eventually appearing in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a Jewish wake with echoes of the intense thriller. The central motif of her career, she says, has been peers giving her a shot, instead of traditional networks. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she repeats, adding with a laugh: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Rising Success
Anyone who were skeptical about her then will certainly be regretting it now. In what she labels a “incredibly circular” story, she has manifested the perfect project. A few years back she uploaded a video titled “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she parodied Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a show about city dwellers juggling advantages of digital stardom (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being accused of being a substance-abusing thief, and possibly becoming a risky persona non grata). Some could simple to create a program about digital influence that was horribly idealized—or, worse, one that mocked at the characters. I Love LA steers clear of each, making for a representation of advantaged young adult existence that’s candid about the grot and the glamour.
Empathetic Approach
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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
