Rachel Sennott exploring her uproarious comedy about the grotty allure of today's youth lifestyle
The star appears on the digital interview and immediately starts an apology. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she states, seeming truly remorseful. Despite being only slightly delayed, she feels compelled to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Fortunately, during an interview, that’s exactly what one hopes to encounter. Moreover, it’s pretty predictable. Those who know the unapologetically LGBTQ+ and brash movie Bottoms—which she co-wrote with the director and appeared in alongside close companion Ayo Edebiri—would be aware that she holds a lot to share, be it on roles, sex, or the pros of creating a high-school brawl society. And, by the end her new seasonal show I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she holds further insights on the challenges of modern youth (At 30, Sennott is a bridge to younger audiences, a tale-end millennial skilled for bridging both generations).
Guiding Lights and Storytelling Approach
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and Sennott readily acknowledges an admirer, naming it in addition to the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as influences for the project, which tracks the struggles of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion who is also new representative Maia. Perhaps, the most significant spot on creative vision went to Entourage, that HBO sitcom about a rising celebrity succeeding in a gritty entertainment industry (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott discovered it throughout lockdown, became “captivated”, and decided to add a fresh perspective 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 idea for I Love LA originated—to some extent—from firsthand, originally difficult, transition to LA and from her astrological phase, a much-talked-about occurrence for followers. This represented a time that saw her grasp major truths, in her career and in private life. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she says. “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
Growing up in Connecticut, Sennott began writing and performing humor while enrolled in acting at a prestigious arts school. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she explains. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
Sennott decided to act independently, performing at amateur nights with Ayo and uploading hilarious (and distinctly) unconventional comedy videos digitally. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, centered on several females obsessively drawn to pregnancy; another portrayed being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being trapped in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she met Emma through campus film circles and ended up featuring in her initial project, Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a Jewish wake with shades of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her career, she notes, has been peers offering opportunities, rather than the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, adding with a laugh: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Rising Success
Individuals who questioned about her previously will surely be feeling foolish now. As part of she calls a “incredibly circular” story, she has created an ideal role. Previously she posted content named on LA life online, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with her partner) of a show about LA residents juggling the perks of digital stardom (such as partying at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being labeled as being a drug-addled thief, and potentially becoming a risky persona non grata). One might simple to create a series about internet celebrity that was horribly glamorous—or, more problematic, one that mocked at the characters. The series avoids both, creating a representation of privileged young adult living that’s candid about the mess 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 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