Rachel Sennott enters the online meeting and at once starts an explanation. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she states, seeming truly regretful. Despite being only a bit behind, she needs to clarify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, for a writer, this is exactly what one hopes to hear. Besides, it’s fairly unsurprising. Anyone who have seen her boldly LGBTQ+ and brash project titled Bottoms—that Sennott co-wrote with the director and appeared in with collaborator the talented actress—will already know that Sennott holds much to share, be it about identity, intimacy, or the appeal of creating a youth combat group. Plus, after watching the new seasonal program titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she has additional insights about the struggles of young adulthood (At 30, Sennott represents a relatable figure to younger audiences, on the cusp adept for straddling millennials and Gen Z).
Inspirations and Storytelling Approach
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and the actress admits to being enthusiastic, citing it alongside the HBO hit, Insecure and Atlanta as inspirations for her series, which tracks the journey of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend and fledgling talent manager Sennott’s character. However, the biggest spot on the moodboard belonged to the popular sitcom, that program depicting an up-and-coming Hollywood star navigating in a gritty entertainment industry (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott started watching it throughout COVID-19, became “captivated”, and decided to add a fresh perspective on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she says. The concept for I Love LA came—to some extent—from personal, originally difficult, move to LA and from her astrological phase, a much-talked-about phenomenon for astrology heads. It was a time that saw her learn major truths, work-wise and in private life. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she says. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Humble Origins
Growing up in New England, Sennott commenced writing and performing stand-up while studying theatre at a prestigious arts school. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she explains. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “None of the university plays cast me either.” “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
Sennott seized control, appearing at live shows with Ayo and uploading hilarious (and very) unconventional online content digitally. One, titled Baby Cult, centered on a group of women obsessively drawn to motherhood; a different one imagined being employed at a trendy retail outlet as similar to being stuck in a scary movie. By chance, she connected with Seligman through NYU’s movie community and ended up starring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a Jewish wake with echoes of the intense thriller. The big theme of her journey, she says, has been people her own age supporting her, instead of the industry at large. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, continuing humorously: “They don’t want us to win.”
Career Breakthrough
Individuals who had doubts regarding Sennott then will surely be regretting it currently. In what she describes as a “astonishingly complete” development, she appears to achieved the perfect project. A few years back she posted content named on LA life on social media, in which she lampooned movie previews (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Years later, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about city dwellers juggling the perks of internet fame (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with drawbacks (your client being labeled as being a drug-addled criminal, and possibly becoming a unreliable persona non grata). It would be easy to create a show about online fame that was overly glamorous—or, more problematic, one that belittled at its subjects. I Love LA steers clear of each, making for a portrait of privileged young adult life that’s honest about the chaos and the appeal.
Balanced Perspective
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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
