The actress and writer exploring her hilarious show about that chaotic glamour of today's youth lifestyle
Rachel Sennott appears on the video call and right away begins an excuse. “Apologies for the delay!” she says, appearing really apologetic. Despite being only slightly late, she wants to justify. “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, this is exactly what is ideal to encounter. Moreover, it’s pretty unsurprising. Anyone who have seen the boldly LGBTQ+ and outspoken film Bottoms—which Sennott co-wrote with the director and starred in together with close companion Ayo Edebiri—can be aware that Sennott has much to say, be it about identity, intimacy, or the appeal of forming a youth fight club. And, once you finish her recent eight-part show titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she holds further insights about the struggles of young adulthood (At 30, Sennott is an honorary member of the gang, a tale-end millennial adept for bridging both generations).
Guiding Lights and Creative Vision
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and the actress admits to being enthusiastic, referencing the show alongside the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and the innovative program as inspirations for her series, which details the travails of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and ally who is also aspiring talent manager Maia. Perhaps, the biggest spot on the moodboard belonged to the popular sitcom, the program focusing on an emerging Hollywood star making his way in an often-seedy Hollywood (memorable line: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott started watching it throughout lockdown, became “captivated”, and resolved to put her own twist on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she notes. The idea for I Love LA originated—to some extent—from firsthand, initially fractious, relocation to LA and from her astrological phase, a much-talked-about phenomenon for followers. This represented a time that included her learn some big life lessons, professionally and in private life. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” 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
Growing up in New England, the star began creating and acting humor while enrolled in acting at a prestigious arts school. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she explains. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “None of the university plays cast me either.” And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
Sennott decided to act independently, appearing at live shows with Edebiri and uploading hysterical (and distinctly) weird skits on the internet. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, depicted characters obsessively drawn to motherhood; a different one imagined being employed at the brand Hollister as similar to being caught in a horror film. By chance, she connected with Seligman through NYU’s movie community and ended up appearing in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a religious event with shades of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her career, she explains, has been people her own age supporting her, instead of established gatekeepers. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she emphasizes, stating humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Manifesting Dreams
Anyone who questioned about Sennott earlier will surely be regretting it currently. As part of she calls a “wild, full-circle” turn of events, she seems to have manifested an ideal role. In 2019 she shared content called about Los Angeles on social media, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Six years on, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about LA residents balancing advantages of digital stardom (such as celebrating at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your associate being suspected of being a intoxicated thief, and potentially becoming a risky outcast). It would be tempting to produce a series about digital influence that was extremely aspirational—or, even less favorable, one that mocked at the characters. This show avoids both, resulting in a representation of advantaged young adult life that’s frank about the chaos and the appeal.
Balanced Perspective
“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” 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