Rachel Sennott joins the video call and immediately begins an excuse. “Apologies for the delay!” she says, sounding really regretful. Despite being only slightly late, she feels compelled 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!” Fortunately, in this context, that’s exactly what is ideal to encounter. Moreover, it’s quite expected. Those familiar with the unapologetically openly gay and outspoken movie titled Bottoms—which Sennott penned with the director and featured in with collaborator the talented actress—can understand that she holds a lot to discuss, whether on identity, intimacy, or the pros of forming a youth fight club. Furthermore, once you finish the latest multi-episode HBO series I Love LA, it is clear that the star has additional perspectives about the challenges of young adulthood (At 30, Sennott represents an honorary member for this generation, a tale-end millennial skilled for bridging different age groups).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
Parallels to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and the actress readily acknowledges an admirer, citing the show in addition to the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as influences for I Love LA, which follows the travails of an influencer Tallulah and her friend and new talent manager Maia. Perhaps, the most significant presence on creative vision belonged to the HBO series, the show focusing on a rising celebrity succeeding in an often-seedy Hollywood (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She started watching it throughout lockdown, became “obsessed”, and chose to create a new version 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 says. The idea for the series emerged—to some extent—from personal, originally fractious, relocation to Los Angeles and from her cosmic event, a much-talked-about occurrence for enthusiasts. This represented a phase that saw her learn major life lessons, professionally and in private life. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she recalls. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Starting Out
Growing up in New England, Sennott started creating and acting comedy while pursuing performance at a prestigious arts school. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she says. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “None of the university plays cast me either.” “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
She decided to act independently, taking the stage at open mics with Ayo and sharing uproarious (and decidedly) bizarre comedy videos on the internet. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, depicted characters obsessively obsessed with pregnancy; another portrayed being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being trapped in a thriller. Interestingly, she encountered Emma through campus film circles and ended up appearing in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, a tense comedy set at a funeral gathering with hints of the intense thriller. The big theme of her career, she says, has been peers offering opportunities, rather than established gatekeepers. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she repeats, adding amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”
Career Breakthrough
Those who questioned regarding her previously will likely be regretting it now. As part of she calls a “incredibly circular” development, she appears to created an ideal role. In 2019 she posted content called “it’s LA” online, in which she parodied film promos (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Years later, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a show about city dwellers balancing the perks of digital stardom (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being labeled as being a intoxicated stealer, and possibly becoming a risky outcast). It would be tempting to create a series about digital influence that was overly glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that mocked at its subjects. The series avoids both, resulting in a depiction of privileged twentysomething life that’s frank about the mess and the shine.
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
