Rachel Sennott joins the video call and right away starts an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, seeming genuinely regretful. She is only a bit delayed, she feels compelled to clarify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Thankfully, during an interview, that’s precisely what is ideal to encounter. Besides, it’s quite predictable. Anyone familiar with her fearlessly LGBTQ+ and brash film titled Bottoms—that Sennott co-wrote with her creative partner and starred in alongside close companion The Bear’s standout—will already know that Sennott possesses a lot to say, whether about roles, sex, or the appeal of starting a teen fight club. Plus, after watching her latest eight-part program I Love LA, it is clear that she carries even more thoughts about the darker side of modern youth (As a millennial, she is a relatable figure to younger audiences, straddling eras skilled for straddling different age groups).
Influences and Creative Vision
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s Girls can’t be avoided and Sennott admits to being a fan, referencing it together with the classic series, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as inspirations for the project, which details the struggles of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and ally who is also aspiring talent manager portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the biggest influence on concept went to Entourage, that show depicting a rising Hollywood star making his way in an often-seedy entertainment industry (notable statement: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott discovered it throughout COVID-19, became “hooked”, and chose to put her own twist 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 says. The concept for I Love LA came—to some extent—from her own, originally rocky, move to Tinseltown and from the saturn return, a frequently discussed phenomenon for followers. It was an era that included her learn major truths, work-wise and personally. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she admits. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Humble Origins
Raised in New England, Sennott started developing and showcasing humor while studying performance at a prestigious arts school. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she explains. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
She seized control, performing at open mics with Edebiri and sharing uproarious (and decidedly) bizarre skits on the internet. A particular video, Baby Cult, depicted characters fetishistically obsessed with pregnancy; another portrayed being employed at the brand Hollister as like being stuck in a horror film. In a neat twist of fate, she encountered Emma through NYU’s movie community and ended up appearing in her first film, Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a religious event with shades of the Safdie brothers’ movie. A recurring idea of her career, she notes, has been contemporaries offering opportunities, rather than the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, stating amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”
Rising Success
Those who had doubts regarding her earlier will surely be kicking themselves currently. As part of she calls a “incredibly circular” story, she seems to have created her dream vehicle. Previously she uploaded content called on LA life on the internet, in which she lampooned movie previews (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Years later, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about LA residents balancing advantages of online celebrity (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with drawbacks (your friend being labeled as being a drug-addled stealer, and possibly becoming a risky persona non grata). One might easy to make a show about internet celebrity that was overly aspirational—or, more problematic, one that mocked at the characters. This show does neither, making for a representation of advantaged millennial life that’s frank about the chaos and the appeal.
Nuanced Portrayal
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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
