Rachel Sennott enters the digital interview and at once launches into an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, appearing truly remorseful. She is only slightly delayed, she feels compelled to clarify. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Luckily, for a writer, that’s just what you want to experience. Additionally, it’s fairly unsurprising. Those who have seen her fearlessly LGBTQ+ and outspoken project titled Bottoms—that she penned with her creative partner and starred in with close companion the talented actress—can already know that she possesses a lot to say, ranging from about identity, sex, or the appeal of starting a youth brawl society. Furthermore, after watching her latest seasonal HBO series titled I Love LA, viewers realize that she carries even more thoughts on the struggles of Gen Z life (As a millennial, she represents a relatable figure to younger audiences, straddling eras skilled for bridging both generations).
Inspirations and Storytelling Approach
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and the actress admits to being an admirer, citing the show alongside the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and the innovative program as influences for the project, which details the journey of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and ally who is also aspiring agent Maia. Notably, the largest influence on the moodboard belonged to the popular sitcom, that program about a rising A-list actor succeeding in a corrupt Hollywood (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott began viewing it during lockdown, became “captivated”, and resolved 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 originated—partly—from firsthand, at first difficult, relocation to LA and from the saturn return, a much-talked-about phenomenon for followers. That period marked an era that involved her grasp some big truths, in her career and in private life. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she recalls. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Early Beginnings
Brought up in the East Coast, the star started developing and showcasing comedy while pursuing acting at NYU’s Tisch. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she states. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “None of the university plays cast me either.” “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
Sennott seized control, performing at open mics with Ayo and sharing uproarious (and very) bizarre online content online. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, followed several females intensely fixated on having babies; a different one portrayed being employed at a trendy retail outlet as akin to being trapped in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she connected with Seligman through the university’s film scene and eventually appearing in her initial project, Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a funeral gathering with echoes of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her journey, she says, has been people her own age offering opportunities, as opposed to traditional networks. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, continuing humorously: “They don’t want us to win.”
Career Breakthrough
Those who questioned about her then will likely be regretting it currently. As part of she describes as a “incredibly circular” story, she seems to have manifested the perfect project. A few years back she posted a video called about Los Angeles online, in which she parodied Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with her partner) of a show about city dwellers balancing benefits of digital stardom (such as celebrating at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your associate being accused of being a drug-addled thief, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). Some could tempting to make a show about digital influence that was extremely idealized—or, worse, one that mocked at those depicted. The series does neither, making for a representation of affluent twentysomething existence that’s honest about the grot and the appeal.
Nuanced Portrayal
“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
