Rachel Sennott joins the online meeting and immediately starts an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, sounding truly remorseful. She is only slightly delayed, she feels compelled to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Luckily, in this context, this is exactly what one hopes to encounter. Moreover, it’s quite unsurprising. Anyone familiar with the boldly queer and outspoken film titled Bottoms—that Sennott penned with her creative partner and appeared in alongside her friend Ayo Edebiri—will be aware that Sennott possesses much to say, be it on gender, sex, or the appeal of creating a teen combat group. And, after watching her latest eight-part HBO series titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star holds even more thoughts on the darker side of young adulthood (At 30, Sennott serves as a bridge to younger audiences, a tale-end millennial skilled for connecting different age groups).
Guiding Lights and Storytelling Approach
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and the actress is enthusiastic, naming it alongside Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as guides for the project, which follows the travails of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion and fledgling talent manager portrayed by Sennott. However, the largest spot on the moodboard belonged to the HBO series, the program focusing on an up-and-coming celebrity navigating in a corrupt Hollywood (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She discovered it throughout the pandemic, became “captivated”, and decided to put her own twist on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she explains. The concept for I Love LA came—in part—from her own, initially difficult, move to Los Angeles and from her astrological phase, a frequently discussed phenomenon for enthusiasts. That period marked a time that saw her grasp major insights, in her career and in private life. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she admits. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Early Beginnings
Growing up in New England, the star commenced writing and performing stand-up while pursuing theatre at NYU’s Tisch. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she explains. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “None of the university plays cast me either.” And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, appearing at live shows with Edebiri and posting uproarious (and distinctly) weird skits on the internet. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, centered on a group of women intensely fixated on motherhood; a different one envisioned being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being stuck in a thriller. By chance, she met Seligman through the university’s film scene and eventually starring in her first film, Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a Jewish wake with echoes of the intense thriller. The big theme of her journey, she notes, has been people her own age offering opportunities, as opposed to traditional networks. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, stating with a laugh: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Rising Success
Individuals who questioned regarding Sennott earlier will surely be feeling foolish now. Through she labels a “incredibly circular” development, she has achieved an ideal role. In 2019 she shared a video called “it’s LA” online, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Six years on, she’s a lead creator (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about city dwellers balancing advantages of online celebrity (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with drawbacks (your client being accused of being a substance-abusing criminal, and possibly becoming a unreliable pariah). Some could easy to create a series about digital influence that was horribly aspirational—or, worse, one that punched down at its subjects. This show steers clear of each, making for a portrait of advantaged young adult life that’s frank about the chaos and the appeal.
Balanced Perspective
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” she observes. “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
