Rachel Sennott joins the online meeting and right away launches into an excuse. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she states, sounding truly apologetic. Although she's only slightly late, she needs to clarify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Fortunately, in this context, that’s exactly what one hopes to experience. Besides, it’s pretty predictable. Those who have seen her fearlessly openly gay and outspoken film titled Bottoms—that Sennott collaborated on with Emma Seligman and starred in alongside collaborator The Bear’s standout—can be aware that Sennott has plenty to say, whether on gender, relationships, or the pros of creating a high-school fight club. And, once you finish her latest seasonal HBO series titled I Love LA, it is clear that she has even more insights on the challenges of modern youth (At 30, Sennott serves as a bridge for this generation, straddling eras adept for straddling both generations).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and Sennott admits to being a fan, naming it together with the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as inspirations for the project, which follows the travails of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend and aspiring agent Sennott’s character. Notably, the biggest spot on the moodboard was reserved for the HBO series, that show focusing on an up-and-coming Hollywood star making his way in an often-seedy LA scene (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott discovered it throughout COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and resolved to add a fresh perspective on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she explains. The concept for I Love LA came—in part—from her own, initially difficult, move to Los Angeles and from the saturn return, a much-talked-about phenomenon for followers. That period marked a phase that saw her understand some big insights, in her career and in private life. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she says. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Starting Out
Brought up in the East Coast, Sennott commenced creating and acting stand-up while enrolled in acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she says. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “None of the university plays cast me either.” “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
She took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at live shows with Ayo and sharing hilarious (and distinctly) bizarre comedy videos on the internet. One, titled Baby Cult, followed a group of women intensely obsessed with having babies; another envisioned being employed at a trendy retail outlet as like being caught in a scary movie. By chance, she encountered Emma through campus film circles and ended up starring in her first film, Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a religious event with hints of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The big theme of her journey, she explains, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, rather than the industry at large. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “They were not involved”, she confirms, adding with a laugh: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Manifesting Dreams
Individuals who had doubts regarding Sennott previously will likely be feeling foolish now. As part of she calls a “astonishingly complete” story, she has manifested the perfect project. A few years back she posted a video called “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she lampooned movie previews (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about LA residents managing benefits of online celebrity (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with drawbacks (your associate being labeled as being a intoxicated criminal, and potentially becoming a unreliable pariah). One might easy to make a show about digital influence that was extremely idealized—or, more problematic, one that belittled at the characters. The series avoids both, creating a depiction of affluent millennial living that’s honest about the grot and the shine.
Nuanced Portrayal
“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
