Rachel Sennott joins the video call and at once launches into an excuse. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, seeming truly regretful. Despite being only a couple of minutes late, she feels compelled to justify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Thankfully, in this context, that’s exactly what one hopes to experience. Moreover, it’s fairly unsurprising. Viewers who know her boldly openly gay and unapologetically crass project titled Bottoms—which Sennott collaborated on with her creative partner and featured in together with her friend the talented actress—can be aware that Sennott holds plenty to say, whether about identity, sex, or the pros of starting a youth fight club. Furthermore, after watching her latest seasonal show I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she carries even more thoughts regarding the challenges of modern youth (Now in her thirties, she represents a relatable figure to younger audiences, straddling eras skilled for straddling both generations).
Inspirations and Storytelling Approach
Likenesses to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and Sennott is an admirer, naming the show together with the classic series, Insecure and the innovative program as guides for I Love LA, which tracks the journey of an influencer Tallulah and ally and fledgling representative Maia. Perhaps, the largest spot on the moodboard was reserved for the popular sitcom, the program depicting an emerging A-list actor making his way in a corrupt Hollywood (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She started watching it amid lockdown, became “hooked”, and decided to add a fresh perspective 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 idea for I Love LA originated—partly—from her own, originally fractious, relocation to Tinseltown and from the astrological phase, a frequently discussed phenomenon for enthusiasts. This represented an era that included her understand significant truths, work-wise and personally. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she recalls. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Early Beginnings
Brought up in the East Coast, the star started creating and acting stand-up while studying acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she explains. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
Sennott seized control, appearing at amateur nights with her friend and uploading hysterical (and distinctly) unconventional online content online. A particular video, Baby Cult, centered on a group of women intensely drawn to having babies; a different one envisioned being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being stuck in a thriller. Interestingly, she encountered Emma through NYU’s movie community and ended up starring in her first film, Shiva Baby, a stressful film set at a religious event with echoes of the intense thriller. The big theme of her journey, she explains, has been contemporaries offering opportunities, rather than established gatekeepers. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “They were not involved”, she confirms, stating humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Manifesting Dreams
Those who had doubts about Sennott previously will likely be regretting it currently. As part of she calls a “incredibly circular” turn of events, she appears to achieved her dream vehicle. A few years back she uploaded a clip called “it’s LA” online, in which she parodied Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a comedy about city dwellers managing the perks of digital stardom (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your client being suspected of being a substance-abusing stealer, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). It would be simple to make a series about digital influence that was overly glamorous—or, more problematic, one that punched down at its subjects. I Love LA does neither, creating a representation of privileged young adult life that’s frank about the grot and the glamour.
Balanced Perspective
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” she says. “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
