Rachel Sennott joins the video call and at once starts an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, seeming really apologetic. Although she's only a couple of minutes late, she wants to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, during an interview, that’s just what you want to encounter. Additionally, it’s fairly expected. Anyone who have seen the unapologetically LGBTQ+ and brash film titled Bottoms—which she co-wrote with her creative partner and appeared in with collaborator The Bear’s standout—will be aware that Sennott holds plenty to say, whether on identity, intimacy, or the pros of starting a high-school fight club. Furthermore, by the end her recent eight-part program I Love LA, viewers realize that she carries even more insights regarding the darker side of young adulthood (As a millennial, Sennott represents an honorary member of the gang, straddling eras with a knack for bridging millennials and Gen Z).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and Sennott admits to being a fan, citing the show in addition to the classic series, Insecure and the innovative program as influences for her series, which tracks the travails of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and ally who is also new agent Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the largest spot on creative vision belonged to Entourage, the show focusing on an emerging A-list actor navigating in a corrupt LA scene (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She started watching it throughout the pandemic, became “obsessed”, and resolved to add a fresh perspective on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she says. The inspiration for the series came—partly—from her own, at first rocky, move to LA and from her astrological phase, a much-talked-about event for enthusiasts. That period marked a time that saw her understand some big insights, professionally and individually. “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.” “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Starting Out
Raised in Connecticut, the star began developing and showcasing stand-up while enrolled in performance at NYU’s Tisch. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she states. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
She seized control, performing at live shows with Edebiri and uploading uproarious (and decidedly) weird online content on the internet. A particular video, Baby Cult, followed characters fetishistically fixated on pregnancy; a different one portrayed working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being stuck in a thriller. In a neat twist of fate, she connected with Emma through the university’s film scene and ended up starring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful comedy set at a Jewish wake with hints of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her journey, she notes, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, rather than established gatekeepers. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, stating amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Rising Success
Anyone who questioned about Sennott previously will surely be feeling foolish now. Through she labels a “incredibly circular” development, she appears to created the perfect project. In 2019 she uploaded a clip titled about Los Angeles on the internet, in which she lampooned movie previews (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Years later, she’s a lead creator (with the co-writer) of a comedy about LA residents balancing the perks of internet fame (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your friend being accused of being a drug-addled stealer, and possibly becoming a risky pariah). It would be simple to make a show about internet celebrity that was horribly aspirational—or, worse, one that punched down at those depicted. I Love LA avoids both, resulting in a depiction of advantaged millennial living that’s candid about the mess and the shine.
Balanced Perspective
“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” 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
