Rachel Sennott enters the online meeting and right away launches into an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, appearing genuinely regretful. Despite being only a bit delayed, she feels compelled to clarify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Luckily, during an interview, that’s precisely what one hopes to encounter. Moreover, it’s pretty unsurprising. Those familiar with the fearlessly queer and outspoken film Bottoms—which she collaborated on with her creative partner and starred in alongside collaborator Ayo Edebiri—would understand that Sennott possesses a lot to discuss, whether on identity, sex, or the pros of creating a high-school fight club. And, once you finish her new eight-part show titled I Love LA, viewers realize that she holds even more thoughts about the struggles of young adulthood (Now in her thirties, Sennott serves as a relatable figure for this generation, a tale-end millennial skilled for bridging both generations).
Guiding Lights and Storytelling Approach
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and Sennott admits to being enthusiastic, referencing it together with the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and Donald Glover’s series as inspirations for her series, which details the journey of online personality Tallulah and her friend and new talent manager portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the largest influence on creative vision belonged to the HBO series, the program depicting a rising Hollywood star making his way in a gritty entertainment industry (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She started watching it during COVID-19, became “hooked”, and decided to add a fresh perspective on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she explains. The concept for this project emerged—to some extent—from her own, at first rocky, move to Tinseltown and from her saturn return, a frequently discussed occurrence for astrology heads. It was an era that saw her learn major truths, work-wise and in private life. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she says. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Starting Out
Raised in New England, Sennott started creating and acting comedy while studying acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she says. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She seized control, taking the stage at open mics with her friend and sharing hilarious (and distinctly) bizarre skits online. One, Baby Cult, followed characters fetishistically drawn to motherhood; a different one envisioned being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being trapped in a thriller. Interestingly, she encountered Emma through the university’s film scene and ultimately starring in her first film, Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a religious event with echoes of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her career, she says, has been people her own age offering opportunities, rather than established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, adding humorously: “They don’t want us to win.”
Career Breakthrough
Individuals who questioned about her then will certainly be regretting it today. In what she labels a “incredibly circular” development, she appears to created her dream vehicle. Previously she posted a video called on LA life online, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a show about city dwellers balancing benefits of internet fame (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your friend being accused of being a drug-addled thief, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). Some could easy to produce a program about internet celebrity that was overly glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at those depicted. This show does neither, making for a depiction of advantaged twentysomething living that’s honest about the chaos and the glamour.
Empathetic Approach
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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
