The actress and writer on the hilarious series depicting that messy allure of younger generation life
Rachel Sennott appears on the digital interview and at once launches into an apology. “Apologies for the delay!” she exclaims, seeming genuinely regretful. Although she's only a couple of minutes late, she feels compelled to justify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, during an interview, that’s exactly what is ideal to encounter. Additionally, it’s fairly unsurprising. Those familiar with the fearlessly LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass film titled Bottoms—that Sennott penned with Emma Seligman and appeared in with collaborator The Bear’s standout—can understand that she has a lot to share, be it about roles, relationships, or the merits of starting a youth brawl society. Furthermore, once you finish the recent seasonal show I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she has additional insights about the darker side of Gen Z life (Now in her thirties, she is a relatable figure of the gang, on the cusp with a knack for connecting different age groups).
Guiding Lights and Storytelling Approach
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s Girls can’t be avoided and Sennott readily acknowledges an admirer, citing it in addition to the HBO hit, Insecure and Atlanta as guides for the project, which follows the travails of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend who is also fledgling agent Maia. Perhaps, the biggest presence on the moodboard belonged to the HBO series, that HBO sitcom focusing on an emerging Hollywood star making his way in a gritty Hollywood (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She discovered it throughout the pandemic, became “hooked”, and chose to put her own twist 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 idea for I Love LA came—partly—from personal, initially fractious, move to LA and from the astrological phase, a popular occurrence for followers. This represented a time that involved her understand significant truths, professionally and individually. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she admits. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Humble Origins
Brought up in New England, Sennott started writing and performing stand-up while studying acting at a prestigious arts school. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she says. “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.”
She decided to act independently, performing at amateur nights with Ayo and uploading hilarious (and very) unconventional comedy videos on the internet. One, Baby Cult, followed characters intensely drawn to motherhood; another imagined being employed at the brand Hollister as akin to being caught in a horror film. In a neat twist of fate, she connected with Seligman through the university’s film scene and ended up featuring in her first film, Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a religious event with echoes of Uncut Gems. A recurring idea of her career, she notes, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, as opposed to traditional networks. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, adding humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Those who were skeptical about Sennott then will certainly be regretting it now. As part of she calls a “wild, full-circle” development, she seems to have achieved an ideal role. Previously she posted content called “it’s LA” online, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Years later, she’s a lead creator (with her partner) of a comedy about city dwellers balancing the perks of internet fame (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being accused of being a drug-addled criminal, and possibly becoming a unreliable persona non grata). One might simple to make a show about digital influence that was extremely idealized—or, worse, one that punched down at the characters. This show steers clear of each, making for a depiction of privileged young adult life that’s honest about the mess and the appeal.
Nuanced Portrayal
“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” 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
