Rachel Sennott joins the online meeting and immediately launches into an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, appearing really apologetic. Although she's only a couple of minutes delayed, she needs 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!” Fortunately, in this context, this is exactly what is ideal to hear. Additionally, it’s quite predictable. Anyone familiar with her unapologetically openly gay and unapologetically crass film titled Bottoms—that she collaborated on with her creative partner and appeared in together with collaborator Ayo Edebiri—will already know that she holds much to share, ranging from about identity, relationships, or the merits of starting a youth brawl society. And, by the end the new multi-episode program titled I Love LA, it is clear that she has additional perspectives about the struggles of Gen Z life (At 30, she represents a bridge of the gang, a tale-end millennial with a knack for straddling different age groups).
Influences and Storytelling Approach
Likenesses to the iconic series Girls can’t be avoided and Sennott readily acknowledges an admirer, citing the show together with the HBO hit, Insecure and the innovative program as guides for the project, which tracks the struggles of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and ally and aspiring representative Sennott’s character. However, the most significant presence on concept was reserved for Entourage, that show about an emerging Hollywood star navigating in an often-seedy Hollywood (memorable line: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott began viewing it throughout lockdown, became “captivated”, and resolved to create a new version on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she says. The inspiration for I Love LA originated—to some extent—from firsthand, initially difficult, move to LA and from her astrological phase, a much-talked-about phenomenon for astrology heads. This represented a phase that involved her learn some big truths, professionally and individually. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she admits. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Humble Origins
Growing up in Connecticut, Sennott started developing and showcasing humor while pursuing performance at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she states. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
She seized control, appearing at amateur nights with Edebiri and uploading hysterical (and very) weird skits digitally. One, Baby Cult, depicted several females fetishistically obsessed with having babies; another portrayed being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being caught in a horror film. By chance, she connected with Emma through the university’s film scene and eventually appearing in her first film, Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a Jewish wake with echoes of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her career, she says, has been peers giving her a shot, rather than the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, adding amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Rising Success
Individuals who had doubts about her then will certainly be kicking themselves today. Through she describes as a “incredibly circular” development, she seems to have manifested her dream vehicle. A few years back she uploaded content called about Los Angeles on the internet, in which she lampooned film promos (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with her partner) of a show about city dwellers balancing benefits of internet fame (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with drawbacks (your client being accused of being a substance-abusing thief, and potentially becoming a unreliable pariah). It would be tempting to produce a show about digital influence that was overly aspirational—or, worse, one that punched down at the characters. The series steers clear of each, creating a depiction of privileged twentysomething existence that’s candid about the chaos and the appeal.
Balanced Perspective
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” she says. “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
