Rachel Sennott appears on the digital interview and right away begins an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she says, appearing truly apologetic. Despite being only a couple of minutes late, she feels compelled to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Thankfully, in this context, this is just what is ideal to encounter. Besides, it’s pretty unsurprising. Viewers who know her fearlessly LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass movie Bottoms—that she collaborated on with Emma Seligman and starred in together with collaborator The Bear’s standout—can already know that she holds a lot to share, ranging from about roles, sex, or the pros of creating a teen combat group. And, after watching the latest eight-part HBO series I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star holds additional perspectives regarding the darker side of young adulthood (As a millennial, Sennott represents an honorary member of the gang, on the cusp with a knack for connecting different age groups).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s Girls are inevitable and the actress is a fan, naming it in addition to the classic series, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as influences for the project, which details the travails of online personality Tallulah and close companion who is also fledgling talent manager Maia. Perhaps, the most significant presence on creative vision belonged to the HBO series, that show focusing on an emerging Hollywood star succeeding in a gritty entertainment industry (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She discovered it throughout lockdown, became “captivated”, and chose to create a new version 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 notes. The concept for this project originated—partly—from personal, originally fractious, relocation to LA and from the astrological phase, a popular event for enthusiasts. It was a time that included her grasp major insights, professionally and personally. “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.” “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Humble Origins
Growing up in New England, Sennott started developing and showcasing stand-up while studying acting at a prestigious arts school. “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. “None of the university plays cast me either.” “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
She took matters into her own hands, performing at open mics with Edebiri and sharing hilarious (and distinctly) weird comedy videos on the internet. One, titled Baby Cult, centered on characters obsessively drawn to motherhood; another envisioned being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being stuck in a thriller. Interestingly, she encountered Emma through NYU’s movie community and eventually starring in her first film, Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a religious event with echoes of Uncut Gems. The central motif of her career, she notes, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, instead of established gatekeepers. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Definitely not them”, she repeats, continuing humorously: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Career Breakthrough
Anyone who had doubts about Sennott then will surely be feeling foolish today. In what she calls a “incredibly circular” development, she appears to created an ideal role. Previously she shared a video named “it’s LA” on social media, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a series about Angelenos juggling the perks of digital stardom (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with drawbacks (your friend being labeled as being a drug-addled criminal, and possibly becoming a risky pariah). It would be simple to create a series about digital influence that was overly glamorous—or, more problematic, one that mocked at its subjects. I Love LA steers clear of each, resulting in a portrait of privileged twentysomething life that’s honest about the mess 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
