Rachel Sennott appears on the video call and right away begins an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, sounding truly regretful. Although she's only slightly delayed, she wants to clarify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Luckily, for a writer, that’s just what one hopes to encounter. Besides, it’s quite predictable. Those who have seen her fearlessly LGBTQ+ and brash movie Bottoms—which Sennott co-wrote with her creative partner and featured in alongside close companion the talented actress—would be aware that she holds plenty to share, be it about gender, intimacy, or the appeal of creating a teen fight club. Plus, once you finish the latest eight-part show titled I Love LA, it is clear that the star carries further thoughts about the darker side of modern youth (As a millennial, she represents an honorary member for this generation, on the cusp with a knack for straddling different age groups).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show can’t be avoided and Sennott admits to being a fan, citing it in addition to the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as inspirations for I Love LA, which details the struggles of online personality Tallulah and close companion who is also new talent manager Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the largest spot on the moodboard went to Entourage, the HBO sitcom depicting an emerging Hollywood star making his way in an often-seedy LA scene (memorable line: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She began viewing it during the pandemic, became “hooked”, and chose to create a new version on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she notes. The concept for this project came—to some extent—from firsthand, at first difficult, transition to Los Angeles and from the saturn return, a much-talked-about occurrence for followers. It was a phase that involved her grasp significant truths, work-wise and personally. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she recalls. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Starting Out
Raised in the East Coast, Sennott began developing and showcasing comedy while studying acting at a prestigious arts school. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” 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. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
Sennott decided to act independently, taking the stage at amateur nights with her friend and sharing hilarious (and decidedly) bizarre comedy videos on the internet. A particular video, Baby Cult, depicted characters obsessively fixated on motherhood; a different one imagined working at the brand Hollister as like being stuck in a scary movie. By chance, she met Seligman through campus film circles and ended up appearing in her initial project, Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a Jewish wake with echoes of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her journey, she explains, has been contemporaries offering opportunities, rather than traditional networks. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, stating with a laugh: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Career Breakthrough
Individuals who questioned about her earlier will likely be kicking themselves today. As part of she calls a “astonishingly complete” development, she seems to have created an ideal role. In 2019 she shared a clip titled on LA life on the internet, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Years later, she’s the co-showrunner (with the co-writer) of a series about city dwellers juggling advantages of online celebrity (such as socializing at a famous actor’s house) with drawbacks (your client being suspected of being a intoxicated criminal, and potentially becoming a risky pariah). One might simple to produce a series about online fame that was extremely aspirational—or, more problematic, one that punched down at its subjects. I Love LA avoids both, making for a portrait of advantaged young adult living that’s honest about the mess and the glamour.
Balanced Perspective
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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
