Rachel Sennott on her side-splitting comedy depicting that grotty glamour of today's youth existence
The performer enters the video call and immediately starts an apology. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, appearing truly regretful. Although she's only a couple of minutes late, she needs to justify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Thankfully, for a writer, this is precisely what you want to experience. Moreover, it’s quite expected. Viewers who have seen her fearlessly openly gay and brash movie titled Bottoms—that she collaborated on with the director and featured in with her friend the talented actress—can be aware that Sennott has plenty to discuss, be it on gender, relationships, or the merits of creating a youth combat group. Plus, by the end the new seasonal show I Love LA, viewers realize that she holds further insights about the darker side of modern youth (At 30, she is a bridge to younger audiences, straddling eras adept for straddling millennials and Gen Z).
Inspirations and Creative Vision
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show can’t be avoided and the actress is an admirer, naming it in addition to Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and Donald Glover’s series as influences for I Love LA, which tracks the struggles of a social media star Tallulah and her friend who is also fledgling talent manager portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the biggest presence on the moodboard was reserved for the popular sitcom, the HBO sitcom depicting an up-and-coming Hollywood star succeeding in a gritty entertainment industry (choice quote: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott discovered it amid COVID-19, became “captivated”, and decided to add a fresh perspective on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she notes. The inspiration for this project came—partly—from personal, originally difficult, move to LA and from the cosmic event, a popular phenomenon for astrology heads. It was a phase that saw her understand major life lessons, work-wise and individually. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she recalls. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Humble Origins
Raised in New England, the star started developing and showcasing humor while studying performance at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she states. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “None of the university plays cast me either.” “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
Sennott decided to act independently, taking the stage at open mics with Edebiri and sharing uproarious (and very) bizarre online content online. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, centered on a group of women intensely drawn to having babies; another envisioned working at the brand Hollister as like being stuck in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she encountered Seligman through campus film circles and ultimately featuring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a religious event with hints of Uncut Gems. A recurring idea of her career, she says, has been peers offering opportunities, rather than the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she emphasizes, adding humorously: “They don’t want us to win.”
Rising Success
Those who questioned regarding her previously will certainly be kicking themselves today. As part of she calls a “incredibly circular” story, she seems to have achieved the perfect project. Previously she posted a clip named about Los Angeles online, in which she lampooned movie previews (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Six years on, she’s the co-showrunner (with her partner) of a show about city dwellers juggling the perks of digital stardom (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being suspected of being a substance-abusing stealer, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” pariah). One might tempting to produce a program about digital influence that was horribly idealized—or, more problematic, one that mocked at the characters. The series steers clear of each, resulting in a representation of advantaged millennial living that’s honest about the mess and the glamour.
Nuanced Portrayal
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” she says. “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