Rachel Sennott enters the video call and at once begins an apology. “Apologies for the delay!” she says, seeming genuinely remorseful. Despite being only a couple of minutes late, she needs to clarify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Luckily, for a writer, that’s just what one hopes to encounter. Additionally, it’s pretty predictable. Anyone familiar with the unapologetically LGBTQ+ and outspoken movie titled Bottoms—which she collaborated on with her creative partner and featured in alongside collaborator the talented actress—would be aware that she possesses a lot to discuss, whether on gender, intimacy, or the merits of forming a youth combat group. And, by the end the latest multi-episode program titled I Love LA, viewers realize that she carries additional thoughts regarding the challenges of Gen Z life (At 30, she is an honorary member to younger audiences, on the cusp with a knack for connecting different age groups).
Influences and Storytelling Approach
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and the actress admits to being a fan, naming the show alongside the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as guides for her series, which details the journey of an influencer Tallulah and close companion and aspiring agent portrayed by Sennott. However, the biggest presence on the moodboard belonged to the HBO series, the HBO sitcom about a rising celebrity succeeding in a gritty Hollywood (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott started watching it amid lockdown, became “obsessed”, and decided to create a new version on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she notes. The concept for I Love LA emerged—to some extent—from her own, initially rocky, transition to LA and from her saturn return, a frequently discussed phenomenon for astrology heads. This represented a time that included her understand major insights, work-wise and in private life. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she admits. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Starting Out
Raised in New England, Sennott began developing and showcasing comedy while studying acting at a prestigious arts school. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she explains. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” 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 took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at open mics with Edebiri and uploading hysterical (and decidedly) unconventional comedy videos digitally. One, Baby Cult, followed characters obsessively fixated on having babies; a different one envisioned being employed at a trendy retail outlet as similar to being stuck in a scary movie. By chance, she connected with Seligman through NYU’s movie community and ended up starring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a tense film set at a funeral gathering with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her path, she notes, has been people her own age giving her a shot, instead of established gatekeepers. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Not the gatekeepers”, she repeats, stating humorously: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Rising Success
Anyone who had doubts regarding her earlier will certainly be feeling foolish today. As part of she calls a “astonishingly complete” turn of events, she appears to manifested the perfect project. A few years back she posted a clip named “it’s LA” on social media, in which she mocked film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a comedy about city dwellers balancing the perks of internet fame (such as celebrating at Elijah Wood’s house) with drawbacks (your associate being accused of being a intoxicated stealer, and potentially becoming a unreliable outcast). It would be simple to create a program about internet celebrity that was overly glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that belittled at those depicted. This show steers clear of each, resulting in a representation of affluent millennial existence that’s honest about the mess and the shine.
Balanced Perspective
“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
