The actress and writer discussing the side-splitting series portraying that grotty glamour of Gen Z life
Rachel Sennott appears on the video call and at once starts an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, seeming truly regretful. Although she's only slightly late, she needs to clarify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, for a writer, this is just what one hopes to hear. Additionally, it’s quite predictable. Those familiar with her unapologetically openly gay and brash project Bottoms—which Sennott collaborated on with her creative partner and featured in together with collaborator Ayo Edebiri—can be aware that Sennott holds a lot to share, whether on identity, relationships, or the merits of starting a teen combat group. And, once you finish the new multi-episode HBO series I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star has even more thoughts on the challenges of modern youth (As a millennial, Sennott represents a bridge to younger audiences, a tale-end millennial adept for connecting millennials and Gen Z).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show can’t be avoided and the actress is a fan, referencing it together with the HBO hit, Insecure and the innovative program as inspirations for her series, which tracks the struggles of online personality Tallulah and her friend and fledgling agent Maia. Perhaps, the biggest influence on creative vision belonged to Entourage, the program depicting a rising Hollywood star making his way in an often-seedy Hollywood (memorable line: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott started watching it during the pandemic, became “captivated”, and decided to put her own twist on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she says. The idea for this project originated—to some extent—from firsthand, originally fractious, move to Los Angeles and from the astrological phase, a much-talked-about event for enthusiasts. It was an era that saw her understand significant life lessons, work-wise and personally. “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.” “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Early Beginnings
Growing up in New England, Sennott started writing and performing comedy while enrolled in performance at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she states. “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?”
She decided to act independently, appearing at live shows with her friend and uploading hysterical (and very) bizarre online content on the internet. A particular video, Baby Cult, depicted characters intensely drawn to pregnancy; another envisioned being employed at the brand Hollister as akin to being stuck in a scary movie. By chance, she connected with Seligman through campus film circles and ultimately featuring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful film set at a religious event with echoes of Uncut Gems. The central motif of her career, she explains, has been peers offering opportunities, instead of traditional networks. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, continuing humorously: “They don’t want us to win.”
Career Breakthrough
Anyone who questioned regarding her previously will certainly be feeling foolish now. As part of she calls a “incredibly circular” development, she appears to created an ideal role. In 2019 she shared content titled on LA life on the internet, in which she lampooned movie previews (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a series about city dwellers managing advantages of online celebrity (such as celebrating at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your client being suspected of being a substance-abusing thief, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). Some could simple to produce a program about internet celebrity that was extremely idealized—or, more problematic, one that belittled at those depicted. I Love LA does neither, making for a depiction of advantaged young adult living that’s candid about the grot and the appeal.
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
