Rachel Sennott enters the video call and right away starts an apology. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, seeming genuinely remorseful. Although she's only a bit delayed, 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!” Thankfully, for a writer, that’s exactly what is ideal to hear. Additionally, it’s quite unsurprising. Viewers familiar with her unapologetically LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass movie titled Bottoms—that she collaborated on with the director and appeared in alongside close companion Ayo Edebiri—can be aware that she holds a lot to share, ranging from about roles, relationships, or the pros of creating a youth brawl society. And, once you finish her new seasonal HBO series I Love LA, it is clear that she carries even more thoughts regarding the struggles of Gen Z life (As a millennial, she is a bridge for this generation, straddling eras skilled for straddling different age groups).
Inspirations and Storytelling Approach
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s Girls are inevitable and Sennott admits to being an admirer, naming it together with Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and Donald Glover’s series as inspirations for I Love LA, which details the journey of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion who is also aspiring agent portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the biggest influence on creative vision belonged to the HBO series, that HBO sitcom about an emerging A-list actor making his way in a gritty LA scene (memorable line: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott began viewing it throughout COVID-19, became “hooked”, and decided to put her own twist on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she explains. The concept for the series emerged—to some extent—from personal, originally rocky, move to LA and from the saturn return, a popular phenomenon for enthusiasts. It was an era that saw her grasp significant truths, work-wise and individually. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she says. “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
Growing up in the East Coast, Sennott began writing and performing stand-up while pursuing performance at a prestigious arts school. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she states. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, appearing at live shows with her friend and posting hilarious (and decidedly) unconventional comedy videos online. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, followed characters intensely drawn to having babies; another imagined working at the brand Hollister as akin to being stuck in a horror film. In a neat twist of fate, she met Seligman through NYU’s movie community and ended up appearing in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a religious event with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. A recurring idea of her path, she explains, has been peers giving her a shot, instead of the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, adding with a laugh: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Individuals who had doubts regarding her earlier will surely be kicking themselves today. As part of she labels a “incredibly circular” story, she has manifested an ideal role. Previously she posted a clip called “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Years later, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a series about LA residents managing benefits of internet fame (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your friend being labeled as being a intoxicated thief, and possibly becoming a risky outcast). Some could easy to produce a show about online fame that was horribly idealized—or, worse, one that punched down at its subjects. This show does neither, creating a portrait of privileged twentysomething existence that’s frank about the grot and the appeal.
Nuanced Portrayal
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” she comments. “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
