Rachel Sennott joins the digital interview and right away begins an apology. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, seeming genuinely remorseful. She is only a bit delayed, she feels compelled to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Fortunately, during an interview, that’s just what is ideal to encounter. Besides, it’s pretty unsurprising. Anyone who have seen the boldly LGBTQ+ and brash project titled Bottoms—which Sennott collaborated on with Emma Seligman and featured in together with close companion The Bear’s standout—will be aware that Sennott has plenty to discuss, whether about identity, relationships, or the appeal of forming a high-school brawl society. Furthermore, by the end her new multi-episode show I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she holds even more thoughts about the darker side of young adulthood (As a millennial, Sennott represents a relatable figure of the gang, on the cusp skilled for bridging different age groups).
Influences and Artistic Direction
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s Girls are inevitable and the actress is enthusiastic, referencing it alongside the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and the innovative program as inspirations for her series, which follows the journey of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion and fledgling agent Maia. Notably, the largest presence on creative vision went to the HBO series, the show about an emerging celebrity succeeding in a corrupt Hollywood (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She began viewing it during COVID-19, became “captivated”, and decided to put her own twist on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she says. The inspiration for I Love LA emerged—partly—from her own, at first rocky, move to LA and from her astrological phase, a popular phenomenon for enthusiasts. That period marked a phase that involved her understand some big life lessons, professionally and in private life. “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
Growing up in the East Coast, the star commenced developing and showcasing comedy while pursuing acting at a prestigious arts school. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she explains. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” 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 decided to act independently, taking the stage at live shows with Ayo and posting hysterical (and very) unconventional comedy videos online. One, Baby Cult, followed a group of women obsessively fixated on motherhood; a different one portrayed being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being trapped in a thriller. By chance, she met Seligman through NYU’s movie community and eventually featuring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a stressful comedy set at a funeral gathering with hints of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her path, she says, has been people her own age offering opportunities, rather than established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, stating with a laugh: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Career Breakthrough
Anyone who questioned about her earlier will surely be regretting it today. Through she labels a “astonishingly complete” turn of events, she has created an ideal role. A few years back she uploaded a video named “it’s LA” on social media, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a show about LA residents balancing the perks of online celebrity (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your friend being accused of being a substance-abusing criminal, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). Some could tempting to make a show about online fame that was extremely idealized—or, worse, one that punched down at its subjects. The series steers clear of each, resulting in a representation of advantaged twentysomething living that’s frank about the mess and the shine.
Empathetic Approach
“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
