Rachel Sennott joins the digital interview and immediately starts an apology. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, appearing truly apologetic. Although she's only slightly late, she feels compelled to justify. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Fortunately, during an interview, that’s precisely what one hopes to encounter. Besides, it’s quite unsurprising. Those who know her unapologetically queer and unapologetically crass movie Bottoms—which she penned with the director and starred in alongside collaborator Ayo Edebiri—will understand that Sennott has much to share, ranging from about identity, sex, or the pros of starting a youth combat group. And, once you finish her latest eight-part show titled I Love LA, it is clear that the star carries even more insights about the darker side of young adulthood (As a millennial, she serves as an honorary member to younger audiences, a tale-end millennial skilled for connecting millennials and Gen Z).
Guiding Lights and Storytelling Approach
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and the actress readily acknowledges enthusiastic, citing it alongside Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and Donald Glover’s series as inspirations for her series, which follows the travails of online personality Tallulah and ally and aspiring representative Maia. Notably, the biggest spot on creative vision belonged to the popular sitcom, that show depicting a rising A-list actor succeeding in an often-seedy entertainment industry (notable statement: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott began viewing it amid lockdown, became “captivated”, and chose to put her own twist 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 inspiration for I Love LA emerged—to some extent—from personal, initially difficult, transition to LA and from the saturn return, a frequently discussed phenomenon for astrology heads. This represented a time that saw her grasp significant 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. It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Starting Out
Brought up in the East Coast, the star started developing and showcasing stand-up while enrolled in acting at a prestigious arts school. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she says. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
She decided to act independently, performing at amateur nights with her friend and sharing hilarious (and distinctly) unconventional online content online. A particular video, Baby Cult, followed several females fetishistically obsessed with motherhood; another imagined working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being caught in a thriller. Interestingly, she met Seligman through NYU’s movie community and ultimately appearing in her first film, Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a religious event with shades of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her path, she says, has been peers giving her a shot, as opposed to established gatekeepers. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, continuing humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Those who were skeptical about her then will certainly be regretting it now. Through she labels a “incredibly circular” turn of events, she seems to have achieved her dream vehicle. In 2019 she posted content named “it’s LA” online, in which she mocked movie previews (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with her partner) of a show about Angelenos balancing advantages of internet fame (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with drawbacks (your client being accused of being a intoxicated criminal, and perhaps becoming a risky pariah). It would be simple to produce a program about online fame that was overly glamorous—or, more problematic, one that mocked at those depicted. The series steers clear of each, resulting in a representation of affluent twentysomething existence that’s candid about the mess and the shine.
Empathetic Approach
“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
