Rachel Sennott enters the online meeting and right away starts an excuse. “Apologies for the delay!” she says, appearing truly remorseful. Despite being only a bit behind, 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, for a writer, that’s exactly what one hopes to encounter. Besides, it’s quite predictable. Those who have seen her boldly queer and brash movie titled Bottoms—which she penned with the director and starred in alongside close companion the talented actress—can understand that Sennott possesses a lot to say, whether about identity, intimacy, or the appeal of starting a youth fight club. And, after watching her recent eight-part show titled I Love LA, viewers realize that the star has further perspectives regarding the darker side of young adulthood (At 30, Sennott represents a relatable figure for this generation, on the cusp with a knack for straddling millennials and Gen Z).
Influences and Storytelling Approach
Likenesses to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and Sennott is a fan, referencing it in addition to the classic series, Insecure and Atlanta as influences for the project, which tracks the journey of an influencer Tallulah and her friend and fledgling agent Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the most significant influence on the moodboard was reserved for Entourage, the program focusing on a rising A-list actor succeeding in a gritty LA scene (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She began viewing it throughout COVID-19, became “captivated”, and decided to add a fresh perspective on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she explains. The concept for this project emerged—in part—from firsthand, initially fractious, transition to Los Angeles and from her astrological phase, a frequently discussed event for astrology heads. That period marked a time that saw her grasp significant truths, work-wise and individually. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she admits. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Early Beginnings
Brought up in New England, Sennott started creating and acting stand-up while enrolled in acting at a prestigious arts school. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she says. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at amateur nights with Ayo and sharing uproarious (and decidedly) weird online content online. One, Baby Cult, depicted a group of women obsessively obsessed with having babies; a different one envisioned working at a trendy retail outlet as like being stuck in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she encountered Seligman through NYU’s movie community and ended up appearing in her first film, Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a religious event with hints of Uncut Gems. The central motif of her journey, she says, has been people her own age supporting her, as opposed to traditional networks. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, continuing humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Manifesting Dreams
Individuals who were skeptical about Sennott previously will likely be regretting it currently. In what she labels a “wild, full-circle” turn of events, she seems to have created her dream vehicle. In 2019 she posted a video titled about Los Angeles on social media, in which she parodied movie previews (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about LA residents managing advantages of online celebrity (such as celebrating at Elijah Wood’s house) with drawbacks (your client being suspected of being a substance-abusing thief, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). One might tempting to make a series about online fame that was overly aspirational—or, worse, one that mocked at the characters. I Love LA avoids both, making for a portrait of advantaged young adult life that’s candid about the grot and the glamour.
Empathetic Approach
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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