Rachel Sennott enters the video call and right away starts an excuse. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, appearing genuinely remorseful. Despite being only a bit late, she feels compelled to justify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Thankfully, in this context, that’s exactly what you want to experience. Besides, it’s quite predictable. Anyone familiar with her boldly openly gay and unapologetically crass project Bottoms—which she co-wrote with her creative partner and starred in together with close companion the talented actress—can be aware that she has much to share, ranging from on gender, relationships, or the pros of forming a teen combat group. Plus, after watching her new eight-part show I Love LA, it is clear that the star has even more perspectives on the darker side of modern youth (Now in her thirties, Sennott serves as a bridge for this generation, on the cusp adept for connecting both generations).
Influences and Storytelling Approach
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show are inevitable and Sennott admits to being a fan, referencing it alongside the HBO hit, Insecure and the innovative program as influences for I Love LA, which follows the journey of online personality Tallulah and close companion who is also new representative Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the most significant presence on the moodboard went to the popular sitcom, that program focusing on an up-and-coming celebrity succeeding in an often-seedy Hollywood (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott discovered it during lockdown, became “hooked”, and resolved to put her own twist on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she says. The idea for I Love LA emerged—in part—from her own, originally difficult, transition to LA and from her saturn return, a much-talked-about phenomenon for enthusiasts. It was a phase that included her learn major insights, work-wise and in private life. “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 developing and showcasing humor while enrolled in theatre at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she states. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
She took matters into her own hands, appearing at live shows with Ayo and posting hysterical (and very) bizarre online content online. A particular video, Baby Cult, followed several females fetishistically obsessed with having babies; another envisioned working at the brand Hollister as akin to being stuck in a scary movie. By chance, she connected with Emma through the university’s film scene and eventually appearing in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a religious event with shades of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her path, she explains, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, instead of established gatekeepers. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Definitely not them”, she emphasizes, adding humorously: “They don’t want us to win.”
Rising Success
Anyone who had doubts regarding Sennott then will likely be feeling foolish currently. As part of she labels a “astonishingly complete” story, she appears to manifested her dream vehicle. Previously she shared a video named on LA life on the internet, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a series about Angelenos balancing advantages of internet fame (such as partying at a famous actor’s house) with downsides (your client being accused of being a substance-abusing stealer, and possibly becoming a risky pariah). Some could easy to make a show about online fame that was extremely aspirational—or, worse, one that mocked at those depicted. This show does neither, resulting in a representation of advantaged twentysomething living that’s frank about the grot and the appeal.
Nuanced Portrayal
“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
