Rachel Sennott appears on the online meeting and immediately starts an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, appearing really regretful. Although she's only a bit behind, she wants 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!” Luckily, during an interview, this is precisely what you want to encounter. Additionally, it’s fairly unsurprising. Those who know her unapologetically openly gay and outspoken film Bottoms—that she collaborated on with Emma Seligman and starred in alongside collaborator Ayo Edebiri—will be aware that she possesses much to share, ranging from on identity, relationships, or the appeal of starting a high-school brawl society. Furthermore, by the end the recent eight-part program titled I Love LA, it is clear that she holds additional thoughts about the struggles of Gen Z life (At 30, Sennott represents a relatable figure for this generation, a tale-end millennial with a knack for bridging both generations).
Guiding Lights and Creative Vision
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls are inevitable and the actress is a fan, naming the show together with the classic series, the acclaimed comedy and Donald Glover’s series as inspirations for I Love LA, which details the travails of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and ally who is also fledgling agent portrayed by Sennott. However, the most significant influence on concept was reserved for the HBO series, the HBO sitcom focusing on an emerging Hollywood star navigating in a corrupt LA scene (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott began viewing it throughout the pandemic, became “hooked”, and decided to put her own twist on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she says. The idea for this project originated—in part—from her own, at first difficult, move to Los Angeles and from her cosmic event, a frequently discussed event for followers. That period marked an era that saw her learn major life lessons, professionally and personally. “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. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Humble Origins
Brought up in the East Coast, Sennott started creating and acting stand-up while pursuing performance at NYU’s Tisch. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she states. “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. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She took matters into her own hands, appearing at open mics with Ayo and posting hysterical (and decidedly) unconventional skits digitally. A particular video, Baby Cult, depicted characters fetishistically drawn to pregnancy; a different one imagined working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being stuck in a horror film. In a neat twist of fate, she connected with Seligman through campus film circles and eventually featuring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a funeral gathering with shades of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her career, she notes, has been peers offering opportunities, rather than traditional networks. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, adding amusedly: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Career Breakthrough
Individuals who were skeptical about Sennott then will certainly be regretting it today. In what she describes as a “incredibly circular” turn of events, she appears to achieved her dream vehicle. Previously she posted content titled “it’s LA” online, in which she parodied movie previews (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Years later, she’s a lead creator (with the co-writer) of a series about city dwellers balancing the perks of online celebrity (such as socializing at a celebrity’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being suspected of being a drug-addled thief, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” pariah). Some could simple to make a program about digital influence that was extremely idealized—or, worse, one that punched down at those depicted. I Love LA steers clear of each, creating a representation of privileged twentysomething living that’s honest about the grot and the shine.
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
