Rachel Sennott joins the online meeting and right away launches into an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, seeming truly remorseful. She is only slightly late, she feels compelled to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Fortunately, for a writer, this is precisely what you want to encounter. Moreover, it’s fairly predictable. Those who have seen the boldly queer and brash film Bottoms—that she penned with the director and appeared in together with her friend Ayo Edebiri—can understand that she possesses plenty to share, whether about identity, sex, or the appeal of forming a teen combat group. And, by the end the latest eight-part show titled I Love LA, it is clear that the star holds even more perspectives regarding the darker side of modern youth (Now in her thirties, she serves as a relatable figure to younger audiences, straddling eras adept for straddling both generations).
Influences and Creative Vision
Parallels to the iconic series Girls can’t be avoided and the actress admits to being a fan, referencing the show together with the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and the innovative program as guides for the project, which follows the struggles of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion who is also aspiring representative portrayed by Sennott. However, the largest spot on creative vision was reserved for Entourage, that program depicting an emerging Hollywood star navigating in an often-seedy entertainment industry (memorable line: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott began viewing it during COVID-19, became “captivated”, and resolved to put her own twist on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she notes. The concept for I Love LA came—partly—from firsthand, at first rocky, relocation to Los Angeles and from the saturn return, a frequently discussed phenomenon for enthusiasts. It was a phase that included her learn significant life lessons, work-wise and in private life. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she recalls. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Humble Origins
Growing up in New England, the star commenced developing and showcasing comedy while studying theatre at NYU’s Tisch. “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.” “None of the university plays cast me either.” “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
Sennott seized control, appearing at amateur nights with Edebiri and posting uproarious (and decidedly) unconventional comedy videos online. A particular video, Baby Cult, depicted several females obsessively obsessed with having babies; a different one imagined working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being caught in a thriller. Interestingly, she met Emma through the university’s film scene and ultimately starring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a religious event with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The big theme of her path, she says, has been contemporaries offering opportunities, as opposed to established gatekeepers. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, continuing with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”
Career Breakthrough
Anyone who questioned regarding her earlier will certainly be feeling foolish today. In what she calls a “astonishingly complete” story, she seems to have created an ideal role. In 2019 she shared content called on LA life on the internet, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Six years on, she’s a lead creator (with Emma Barrie) of a show about city dwellers balancing advantages of internet fame (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with drawbacks (your friend being accused of being a intoxicated thief, and perhaps becoming a unreliable persona non grata). It would be tempting to create a series about internet celebrity that was overly idealized—or, even less favorable, one that mocked at its subjects. I Love LA avoids both, resulting in a portrait of advantaged young adult living that’s candid about the grot and the appeal.
Nuanced Portrayal
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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
