Rachel Sennott enters the online meeting and right away starts an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, sounding genuinely regretful. Although she's only a bit late, she needs to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Thankfully, for a writer, this is just what is ideal to hear. Besides, it’s pretty expected. Anyone familiar with her unapologetically LGBTQ+ and outspoken film titled Bottoms—which she collaborated on with her creative partner and appeared in with close companion the talented actress—would understand that she holds much to say, be it about identity, sex, or the appeal of creating a high-school fight club. Furthermore, after watching the latest multi-episode program titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star has additional thoughts on the challenges of Gen Z life (As a millennial, she represents a bridge for this generation, a tale-end millennial with a knack for connecting different age groups).
Inspirations and Creative Vision
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show can’t be avoided and the actress is a fan, referencing it in addition to the HBO hit, Insecure and the innovative program as inspirations for her series, which details the travails of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion who is also aspiring agent portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the largest spot on the moodboard belonged to Entourage, that show focusing on a rising Hollywood star making his way in a corrupt LA scene (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She discovered it throughout the pandemic, became “hooked”, and decided to add a fresh perspective 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 idea for this project emerged—partly—from her own, at first difficult, transition to Tinseltown and from the saturn return, a frequently discussed event for astrology heads. It was an era that involved her understand some big truths, in her career and personally. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she says. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Humble Origins
Brought up in New England, Sennott began writing and performing humor while studying performance at NYU’s Tisch. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she explains. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
She took matters into her own hands, appearing at amateur nights with her friend and sharing hysterical (and decidedly) unconventional skits on the internet. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, depicted several females obsessively obsessed with having babies; a different one portrayed working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being stuck in a scary movie. By chance, she connected with Emma through NYU’s movie community and ultimately starring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a Jewish wake with shades of the intense thriller. The big theme of her career, she notes, has been people her own age offering opportunities, as opposed to the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she emphasizes, adding amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”
Rising Success
Anyone who were skeptical regarding her earlier will surely be regretting it today. Through she calls a “astonishingly complete” story, she appears to created an ideal role. Previously she shared a clip titled “it’s LA” on social media, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Years later, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a show about Angelenos juggling advantages of internet fame (such as socializing at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your associate being suspected of being a intoxicated criminal, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). One might simple to create a program about digital influence that was overly idealized—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at its subjects. I Love LA does neither, resulting in a depiction of affluent young adult existence that’s honest about the mess and the shine.
Nuanced Portrayal
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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
