Rachel Sennott enters the online meeting and at once launches into an apology. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, sounding really remorseful. She is only a bit late, she needs to justify. “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 exactly what one hopes to encounter. Moreover, it’s quite expected. Anyone who know the unapologetically queer and brash movie titled Bottoms—that she co-wrote with Emma Seligman and appeared in together with close companion the talented actress—will already know that Sennott possesses much to say, whether on roles, sex, or the appeal of starting a high-school fight club. Furthermore, after watching the recent eight-part program I Love LA, it is clear that the star has additional perspectives regarding the darker side of young adulthood (As a millennial, she serves as an honorary member of the gang, straddling eras skilled for straddling both generations).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls are inevitable and the actress is enthusiastic, referencing the show alongside Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and Donald Glover’s series as influences for I Love LA, which details the struggles of online personality Tallulah and close companion who is also fledgling agent portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the most significant spot on creative vision was reserved for the popular sitcom, that program depicting an up-and-coming celebrity succeeding in a corrupt entertainment industry (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She started watching it during lockdown, became “obsessed”, and decided to add a fresh perspective on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she notes. The concept for I Love LA came—to some extent—from personal, initially rocky, relocation to Tinseltown and from her astrological phase, a frequently discussed occurrence for enthusiasts. That period marked an era that included her learn some big life lessons, work-wise and in private life. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she recalls. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Starting Out
Raised in the East Coast, the star started writing and performing comedy while studying performance at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “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. “None of the university plays cast me either.” “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
She decided to act independently, appearing at amateur nights with Edebiri and uploading uproarious (and distinctly) bizarre comedy videos online. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, centered on characters obsessively fixated on motherhood; a different one imagined being employed at the brand Hollister as like being trapped in a scary movie. By chance, she connected with Emma through the university’s film scene and eventually appearing in her first film, Shiva Baby, a stressful film set at a funeral gathering with hints of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her career, she explains, has been people her own age offering opportunities, as opposed to established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she repeats, stating humorously: “They don’t want us to win.”
Manifesting Dreams
Individuals who were skeptical regarding her then will certainly be regretting it now. Through she calls a “incredibly circular” turn of events, she seems to have manifested an ideal role. A few years back she uploaded a video called “it’s LA” on social media, in which she mocked movie previews (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with her partner) of a series about Angelenos balancing advantages of internet fame (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with downsides (your friend being accused of being a drug-addled criminal, and possibly becoming a unreliable outcast). Some could easy to make a show about digital influence that was horribly aspirational—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at its subjects. This show does neither, making for a portrait of affluent young adult living that’s frank about the grot and the shine.
Balanced Perspective
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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
