Rachel Sennott enters the video call and immediately starts an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, seeming genuinely regretful. Despite being only a bit late, she wants 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!” Thankfully, during an interview, this is exactly what one hopes to experience. Additionally, it’s pretty unsurprising. Those familiar with her fearlessly queer and unapologetically crass film Bottoms—which Sennott collaborated on with the director and appeared in with her friend Ayo Edebiri—can understand that she holds a lot to discuss, ranging from on roles, sex, or the merits of starting a high-school combat group. Plus, after watching the latest seasonal HBO series I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she has further thoughts on the darker side of young adulthood (As a millennial, Sennott represents a relatable figure of the gang, a tale-end millennial skilled for connecting both generations).
Influences and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and the actress is enthusiastic, naming it together with the classic series, Insecure and the innovative program as influences for the project, which follows the travails of a social media star Tallulah and her friend who is also fledgling talent manager Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the largest presence on concept belonged to the HBO series, that show focusing on a rising Hollywood star navigating in an often-seedy entertainment industry (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott started watching it during COVID-19, became “captivated”, and resolved to put her own twist on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she notes. The idea for this project came—to some extent—from firsthand, originally difficult, relocation to Tinseltown and from her astrological phase, a much-talked-about occurrence for enthusiasts. That period marked an era that involved her understand significant life lessons, professionally and in private life. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” 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 resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Starting Out
Growing up in Connecticut, the star began developing and showcasing stand-up while pursuing acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she says. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
She decided to act independently, performing at live shows with Edebiri and sharing hilarious (and distinctly) bizarre online content digitally. One, titled Baby Cult, depicted characters fetishistically fixated on pregnancy; another portrayed working at a trendy retail outlet as akin to being trapped in a thriller. By chance, she met Emma through campus film circles and ultimately appearing in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a Jewish wake with echoes of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her career, she notes, has been people her own age giving her a shot, as opposed to traditional networks. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Definitely not them”, she emphasizes, adding amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Manifesting Dreams
Individuals who were skeptical about Sennott earlier will certainly be feeling foolish currently. As part of she labels a “astonishingly complete” story, she appears to created an ideal role. In 2019 she uploaded a clip called on LA life on social media, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Six years on, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a show about LA residents managing the perks of digital stardom (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your associate being accused of being a drug-addled thief, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). One might simple to produce a show about digital influence that was overly glamorous—or, more problematic, one that belittled at the characters. I Love LA steers clear of each, resulting in a depiction of advantaged twentysomething existence that’s honest about the chaos and the appeal.
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
