Rachel Sennott enters the digital interview and right away launches into an excuse. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, sounding really apologetic. Although she's only slightly behind, she feels compelled to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Luckily, for a writer, this is exactly what you want to encounter. Moreover, it’s quite expected. Anyone who know the boldly queer and unapologetically crass film titled Bottoms—which she co-wrote with the director and appeared in with her friend the talented actress—will understand that she possesses a lot to share, be it about identity, intimacy, or the merits of starting a youth combat group. Furthermore, by the end the new multi-episode program titled I Love LA, it is clear that she has further thoughts about the challenges of modern youth (Now in her thirties, she serves as an honorary member for this generation, straddling eras adept for connecting both generations).
Influences and Artistic Direction
Parallels to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and the actress admits to being a fan, referencing it in addition to the HBO hit, Insecure and Donald Glover’s series as influences for the project, which tracks the journey of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion who is also fledgling agent Maia. Notably, the most significant influence on the moodboard belonged to the popular sitcom, that program depicting a rising celebrity succeeding in a gritty Hollywood (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She discovered it during lockdown, became “obsessed”, and chose to add a fresh perspective 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 idea for this project came—partly—from firsthand, originally difficult, relocation to LA and from her astrological phase, a frequently discussed occurrence for followers. This represented a phase that saw her understand major truths, in her career and in private life. “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. It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Starting Out
Raised in New England, the star started writing and performing humor while pursuing acting at a prestigious arts school. “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. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
Sennott seized control, performing at open mics with Ayo and sharing hilarious (and distinctly) unconventional skits digitally. One, Baby Cult, depicted a group of women fetishistically drawn to having babies; a different one imagined being employed at the brand Hollister as akin to being caught in a horror film. In a neat twist of fate, she met Seligman through the university’s film scene and ended up appearing in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a stressful film set at a funeral gathering with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her path, she notes, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, instead of traditional networks. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she repeats, continuing humorously: “They don’t want us to win.”
Career Breakthrough
Individuals who had doubts about Sennott previously will likely be kicking themselves today. In what she labels a “astonishingly complete” development, she has achieved the perfect project. In 2019 she posted a video named on LA life on the internet, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Years later, she’s a lead creator (with Emma Barrie) of a series about city dwellers managing advantages of online celebrity (such as celebrating at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your associate being accused of being a drug-addled criminal, and perhaps becoming a risky persona non grata). It would be simple to produce a series about internet celebrity that was horribly aspirational—or, worse, one that punched down at its subjects. This show does neither, creating a portrait of privileged young adult existence that’s candid about the grot and the shine.
Nuanced Portrayal
“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” 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
