Rachel Sennott joins the video call and immediately begins an excuse. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, sounding genuinely regretful. She is only slightly late, she wants to justify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Fortunately, for a writer, this is exactly what one hopes to encounter. Moreover, it’s pretty predictable. Those who know the unapologetically LGBTQ+ and outspoken movie titled Bottoms—that she collaborated on with Emma Seligman and starred in alongside close companion The Bear’s standout—can understand that Sennott holds plenty to discuss, ranging from about roles, sex, or the merits of forming a high-school combat group. And, after watching the new eight-part show I Love LA, viewers realize that the star has additional thoughts on the challenges of Gen Z life (As a millennial, she represents an honorary member for this generation, straddling eras with a knack for connecting different age groups).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and Sennott is enthusiastic, naming it in addition to the HBO hit, Insecure and Atlanta as guides for her series, which follows the struggles of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and ally and new talent manager Maia. Perhaps, the biggest spot on the moodboard went to the popular sitcom, that program about a rising A-list actor navigating in an often-seedy Hollywood (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She discovered it throughout the pandemic, became “hooked”, and decided to add a fresh perspective on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she explains. The concept for I Love LA originated—in part—from personal, originally rocky, transition to Tinseltown and from the astrological phase, a much-talked-about phenomenon for astrology heads. It was a time that included her understand major truths, in her career and in private life. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she recalls. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Early Beginnings
Growing up in the East Coast, the star commenced writing and performing humor while enrolled in theatre at a prestigious arts school. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she explains. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
She decided to act independently, appearing at open mics with her friend and sharing hysterical (and decidedly) unconventional comedy videos online. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, followed characters obsessively obsessed with pregnancy; a different one envisioned working at the brand Hollister as like being caught in a horror film. Interestingly, she connected with Seligman through the university’s film scene and ultimately appearing in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a tense comedy set at a funeral gathering with hints of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her career, she says, has been peers giving her a shot, as opposed to established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, adding with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”
Career Breakthrough
Individuals who questioned regarding her then will certainly be regretting it currently. Through she labels a “astonishingly complete” development, she has achieved an ideal role. In 2019 she uploaded a video named “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she parodied film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with Emma Barrie) of a show about city dwellers balancing advantages of internet fame (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with drawbacks (your client being accused of being a intoxicated stealer, and perhaps becoming a unreliable persona non grata). One might tempting to make a program about online fame that was extremely idealized—or, more problematic, one that mocked at those depicted. I Love LA steers clear of each, resulting in a depiction of advantaged young adult living that’s frank about the mess 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 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
