Rachel Sennott discussing her side-splitting series portraying that grotty glamour of today's youth life
The star appears on the online meeting and right away launches into an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she states, appearing really remorseful. Although she's only slightly late, she wants to justify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Luckily, for a writer, that’s exactly what you want to encounter. Moreover, it’s pretty expected. Anyone familiar with the fearlessly queer and outspoken film Bottoms—that Sennott penned with her creative partner and starred in together with close companion the talented actress—would already know that Sennott holds a lot to say, be it on roles, sex, or the pros of creating a teen combat group. Furthermore, by the end the new multi-episode HBO series titled I Love LA, viewers realize that she holds even more insights about the darker side of Gen Z life (As a millennial, she represents a relatable figure to younger audiences, straddling eras skilled for straddling millennials and Gen Z).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to the iconic series Girls can’t be avoided and the actress readily acknowledges an admirer, naming the show alongside Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as guides for her series, which follows the journey of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and ally who is also new talent manager Sennott’s character. Notably, the biggest influence on creative vision went to the HBO series, the show focusing on an up-and-coming A-list actor making his way in an often-seedy LA scene (notable statement: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She started watching it during COVID-19, became “captivated”, and resolved to put her own twist on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she says. The inspiration for I Love LA emerged—to some extent—from personal, initially fractious, move to Tinseltown and from the astrological phase, a frequently discussed event for followers. This represented a phase that included her understand significant insights, in her career and in private life. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she says. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Humble Origins
Growing up in the East Coast, Sennott commenced creating and acting stand-up while studying performance 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.” “None of the university plays cast me either.” And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She seized control, appearing at open mics with Ayo and posting uproarious (and decidedly) bizarre comedy videos online. One, titled Baby Cult, followed several females intensely obsessed with motherhood; another envisioned being employed at the brand Hollister as like being stuck in a scary movie. By chance, she met Emma through NYU’s movie community and eventually appearing in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, a tense comedy set at a Jewish wake with hints of the intense thriller. The central motif of her career, she notes, has been people her own age offering opportunities, as opposed to established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, stating with a laugh: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Manifesting Dreams
Anyone who questioned regarding her earlier will likely be kicking themselves now. Through she calls a “incredibly circular” development, she appears to manifested an ideal role. A few years back she posted a clip named “it’s LA” on social media, in which she parodied Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Years later, she’s the co-showrunner (with her partner) of a series about city dwellers managing benefits of internet fame (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being accused of being a substance-abusing thief, and possibly becoming a unreliable persona non grata). Some could simple to make a show about digital influence that was horribly glamorous—or, more problematic, one that punched down at those depicted. The series does neither, making for a representation of advantaged millennial life that’s honest about the chaos and the shine.
Nuanced Portrayal
“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