Rachel Sennott appears on the video call and at once begins an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she exclaims, seeming genuinely regretful. Despite being only slightly behind, she wants to clarify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Fortunately, during an interview, this is just what one hopes to experience. Additionally, it’s fairly unsurprising. Anyone familiar with her fearlessly LGBTQ+ and brash project titled Bottoms—which she collaborated on with her creative partner and featured in together with close companion the talented actress—will understand that she has a lot to say, whether on identity, intimacy, or the merits of forming a youth fight club. Furthermore, by the end her new multi-episode program I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star has even more insights regarding the struggles of Gen Z life (Now in her thirties, Sennott is a bridge of the gang, on the cusp adept for connecting different age groups).
Influences and Creative Vision
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and Sennott admits to being an admirer, naming it alongside Sex and the City, Insecure and Atlanta as guides for the project, which tracks the journey of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and ally and aspiring talent manager portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the largest presence on concept was reserved for the popular sitcom, that show focusing on a rising A-list actor navigating in an often-seedy Hollywood (choice quote: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott discovered it during lockdown, became “obsessed”, and resolved to create a new version on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she says. The concept for I Love LA originated—to some extent—from firsthand, initially fractious, relocation to Los Angeles and from her astrological phase, a frequently discussed occurrence for astrology heads. It was a phase that saw her grasp significant truths, professionally and individually. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she recalls. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Starting Out
Growing up in the East Coast, the star started creating and acting humor while enrolled in acting at a prestigious arts school. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she explains. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. 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, taking the stage at amateur nights with her friend and posting hilarious (and very) weird comedy videos on the internet. A particular video, Baby Cult, followed several females fetishistically fixated on motherhood; another portrayed being employed at a trendy retail outlet as akin to being trapped in a horror film. Interestingly, she encountered Emma through NYU’s movie community and eventually appearing in her initial project, Shiva Baby, a stressful comedy set at a religious event with hints of Uncut Gems. The central motif of her career, she explains, has been people her own age giving her a shot, instead of traditional networks. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she emphasizes, stating with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”
Rising Success
Anyone who were skeptical regarding her earlier will certainly be regretting it now. In what she labels a “incredibly circular” development, she has achieved an ideal role. Previously she uploaded a clip named “it’s LA” on social media, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Six years on, she’s the co-showrunner (with the co-writer) of a series about LA residents balancing benefits of online celebrity (such as socializing at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being accused of being a drug-addled thief, and potentially becoming a risky pariah). Some could tempting to produce a show about online fame that was overly aspirational—or, worse, one that mocked at those depicted. The series does neither, making for a representation of affluent twentysomething life that’s frank about the grot and the glamour.
Empathetic Approach
“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
