Rachel Sennott enters the online meeting and at once starts an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she says, seeming genuinely regretful. Despite being only slightly late, she wants to justify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Thankfully, for a writer, this is just what one hopes to hear. Moreover, it’s quite predictable. Anyone who know the boldly queer and outspoken movie titled Bottoms—which she co-wrote with Emma Seligman and starred in together with her friend the talented actress—can already know that Sennott holds much to say, be it on identity, relationships, or the appeal of creating a high-school combat group. Furthermore, after watching her recent multi-episode program titled I Love LA, it is clear that she has further perspectives about the darker side of young adulthood (As a millennial, she serves as an honorary member for this generation, on the cusp skilled for straddling different age groups).
Guiding Lights and Artistic Direction
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and the actress admits to being enthusiastic, naming it alongside the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as inspirations for the project, which follows the journey of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and ally who is also aspiring representative Maia. Notably, the largest presence on creative vision was reserved for Entourage, the HBO sitcom about an emerging Hollywood star succeeding in a corrupt LA scene (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She discovered it amid COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and decided to put her own twist 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 says. The inspiration for the series emerged—partly—from firsthand, at first rocky, relocation to Tinseltown and from the astrological phase, a popular occurrence for followers. That period marked an era that included her learn significant truths, professionally and personally. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she says. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Humble Origins
Brought up in the East Coast, the star began writing and performing stand-up while pursuing acting at NYU’s Tisch. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” 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. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at live shows with her friend and posting hilarious (and distinctly) weird skits online. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, depicted characters fetishistically obsessed with having babies; a different one envisioned working at the brand Hollister as akin to being trapped in a thriller. Interestingly, she encountered Seligman through NYU’s movie community and ended up starring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, a tense comedy set at a religious event with hints of Uncut Gems. A recurring idea of her career, she says, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, as opposed to the industry at large. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, stating amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Manifesting Dreams
Those who had doubts regarding her earlier will surely be kicking themselves currently. Through she describes as a “incredibly circular” story, she appears to manifested her dream vehicle. A few years back she uploaded content named on LA life on social media, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s the co-showrunner (with her partner) of a comedy about city dwellers balancing advantages of online celebrity (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your friend being labeled as being a drug-addled stealer, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). One might easy to make a program about internet celebrity that was horribly idealized—or, more problematic, one that mocked at its subjects. I Love LA does neither, making for a portrait of advantaged young adult living that’s candid about the chaos and the appeal.
Nuanced Portrayal
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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
