Rachel Sennott appears on the digital interview and right away starts an excuse. “Apologies for the delay!” she says, seeming genuinely regretful. Despite being only a couple of minutes late, she feels compelled to clarify. “My phone conversations always run long.” I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Fortunately, in this context, that’s precisely what one hopes to hear. Additionally, it’s quite expected. Viewers who know the fearlessly LGBTQ+ and brash movie Bottoms—that Sennott penned with Emma Seligman and starred in with collaborator the talented actress—would understand that she possesses a lot to say, be it on identity, intimacy, or the appeal of starting a high-school brawl society. Plus, by the end the latest seasonal program titled I Love LA, it is clear that she has further thoughts about the challenges of young adulthood (As a millennial, she serves as an honorary member of the gang, straddling eras with a knack for bridging different age groups).
Guiding Lights and Artistic Direction
The comparisons to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and Sennott readily acknowledges a fan, naming it alongside the classic series, Insecure and Atlanta as influences for her series, which follows the travails of online personality Tallulah and ally who is also fledgling representative Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the largest presence on creative vision belonged to the popular sitcom, the show depicting an emerging celebrity succeeding in a corrupt entertainment industry (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott started watching it throughout lockdown, 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 concept for this project came—to some extent—from firsthand, initially rocky, relocation to Tinseltown and from the cosmic event, a frequently discussed event for enthusiasts. That period marked an era that involved her grasp some big life lessons, in her career and in private life. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she recalls. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Humble Origins
Growing up in the East Coast, the star began creating and acting comedy while enrolled in acting at a prestigious arts school. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she says. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
Sennott decided to act independently, taking the stage at live shows with her friend and sharing hysterical (and distinctly) unconventional online content online. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, depicted a group of women obsessively obsessed with motherhood; a different one envisioned being employed at a trendy retail outlet as like being stuck in a thriller. Interestingly, she encountered Emma through campus film circles and eventually featuring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a religious event with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. A recurring idea of her journey, she notes, has been peers offering opportunities, instead of the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, adding with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”
Manifesting Dreams
Individuals who had doubts regarding her previously will certainly be feeling foolish today. In what she calls a “incredibly circular” turn of events, she has created her dream vehicle. A few years back she shared content called on LA life on social media, in which she parodied Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Years later, she’s a lead creator (with the co-writer) of a series about LA residents juggling the perks of digital stardom (such as socializing at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your friend being labeled as being a drug-addled criminal, and potentially becoming a risky pariah). It would be tempting to create a show about internet celebrity that was horribly glamorous—or, worse, one that mocked at its subjects. I Love LA steers clear of each, resulting in a representation of affluent twentysomething living that’s candid about the grot and the shine.
Empathetic Approach
“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” 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
