Rachel Sennott enters the digital interview and right away launches into an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, appearing really apologetic. Although she's only slightly late, she needs to clarify. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Fortunately, in this context, that’s just what is ideal to hear. Additionally, it’s fairly predictable. Those familiar with her fearlessly LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass film titled Bottoms—that Sennott co-wrote with Emma Seligman and starred in alongside close companion the talented actress—can be aware that she possesses much to discuss, whether about identity, relationships, or the merits of starting a high-school brawl society. Furthermore, by the end the latest eight-part program I Love LA, it is clear that the star holds even more thoughts regarding the struggles of Gen Z life (Now in her thirties, Sennott serves as a relatable figure of the gang, a tale-end millennial adept for connecting both generations).
Guiding Lights and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and Sennott is enthusiastic, naming it in addition to the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and the innovative program as guides for the project, which follows the struggles of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and ally and fledgling talent manager Maia. However, the largest spot on creative vision was reserved for the popular sitcom, the show about a rising Hollywood star succeeding in a gritty entertainment industry (notable statement: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She began viewing it amid the pandemic, became “captivated”, and decided to add a fresh perspective 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 explains. The idea for the series came—in part—from her own, originally rocky, move to LA and from the saturn return, a frequently discussed event for enthusiasts. That period marked an era that involved her learn significant life lessons, professionally and individually. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she recalls. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Early Beginnings
Raised in the East Coast, Sennott started creating and acting stand-up while enrolled in acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she states. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
She took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at live shows with Ayo and uploading uproarious (and very) bizarre online content online. One, titled Baby Cult, depicted several females obsessively fixated on motherhood; another imagined being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being trapped in a thriller. Interestingly, she encountered Seligman through the university’s film scene and ended up appearing in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a Jewish wake with hints of the intense thriller. The big theme of her path, she explains, has been people her own age supporting her, as opposed to traditional networks. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, continuing humorously: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Manifesting Dreams
Those who had doubts regarding her previously will certainly be regretting it now. In what she calls a “wild, full-circle” story, she appears to created the perfect project. A few years back she shared a video named “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she lampooned film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about city dwellers juggling the perks of online celebrity (such as partying at a famous actor’s house) with downsides (your friend being accused of being a substance-abusing thief, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). It would be tempting to produce a show about internet celebrity that was extremely idealized—or, even less favorable, one that mocked at those depicted. The series avoids both, resulting in a portrait of advantaged young adult living that’s honest about the mess and the appeal.
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
