Rachel Sennott appears on the digital interview and right away starts an apology. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, appearing genuinely apologetic. She is only a couple of minutes delayed, she feels compelled to explain. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Fortunately, during an interview, that’s exactly what one hopes to hear. Moreover, it’s fairly unsurprising. Anyone who have seen her fearlessly openly gay and brash project titled Bottoms—that Sennott penned with the director and appeared in alongside close companion Ayo Edebiri—would already know that Sennott holds plenty to share, whether on roles, relationships, or the pros of creating a high-school brawl society. Furthermore, after watching the recent multi-episode show titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star holds further insights regarding the struggles of young adulthood (At 30, she represents a relatable figure of the gang, straddling eras with a knack for connecting both generations).
Inspirations and Storytelling Approach
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show can’t be avoided and Sennott admits to being a fan, citing the show in addition to the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and Donald Glover’s series as inspirations for the project, which details the journey of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and ally and aspiring representative Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the largest spot on concept was reserved for Entourage, the HBO sitcom focusing on an emerging Hollywood star succeeding in an often-seedy entertainment industry (memorable line: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott began viewing it during COVID-19, became “hooked”, and resolved to create a new version 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 explains. The inspiration for this project came—to some extent—from personal, at first difficult, transition to Tinseltown and from her cosmic event, a much-talked-about occurrence for astrology heads. That period marked an era that saw her learn major insights, 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…”
Starting Out
Brought up in New England, Sennott started writing and performing humor while studying acting at a prestigious arts school. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she states. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, performing at live shows with her friend and uploading uproarious (and very) bizarre comedy videos online. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, depicted a group of women obsessively fixated on having babies; a different one portrayed working at the brand Hollister as like being caught in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she met Seligman through NYU’s movie community and ultimately starring in her initial project, Shiva Baby, a stressful film set at a Jewish wake with shades of the intense thriller. The big theme of her career, she explains, has been peers supporting her, rather than the industry at large. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, stating humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Anyone who questioned regarding Sennott previously will certainly be kicking themselves currently. Through she describes as a “astonishingly complete” turn of events, she seems to have achieved the perfect project. Previously she shared content named “it’s LA” online, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a comedy about Angelenos managing benefits of online celebrity (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your friend being accused of being a drug-addled stealer, and potentially becoming a unreliable outcast). It would be tempting to produce a show about internet celebrity that was horribly idealized—or, worse, one that punched down at its subjects. I Love LA steers clear of each, making for a portrait of privileged twentysomething existence that’s honest about the mess and the shine.
Nuanced Portrayal
“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
