Rachel Sennott appears on the online meeting and immediately starts an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, sounding really regretful. She is only slightly late, she wants to clarify. “My phone conversations always run long.” I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Luckily, during an interview, that’s precisely what you want to experience. Additionally, it’s pretty expected. Viewers familiar with the fearlessly LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass movie titled Bottoms—that she co-wrote with her creative partner and starred in together with her friend the talented actress—would be aware that she has much to discuss, be it on gender, relationships, or the appeal of starting a youth brawl society. And, by the end the latest seasonal program titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she holds even more insights about the darker side of modern youth (At 30, Sennott represents a bridge for this generation, a tale-end millennial skilled for straddling millennials and Gen Z).
Inspirations and Creative Vision
The comparisons to the iconic series Girls can’t be avoided and the actress readily acknowledges enthusiastic, citing the show in addition to the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as inspirations for the project, which details the struggles of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion who is also new representative Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the largest presence on creative vision went to the HBO series, the show focusing on an emerging celebrity succeeding in a corrupt Hollywood (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott started watching it during lockdown, became “obsessed”, and decided to add a fresh perspective on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she explains. The concept for this project emerged—in part—from firsthand, at first rocky, move to Los Angeles and from her saturn return, a frequently discussed occurrence for followers. That period marked a phase that involved her understand some big truths, professionally and in private life. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she admits. “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 …”
Early Beginnings
Raised in New England, the star started creating and acting humor while studying theatre at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she states. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, appearing at open mics with Edebiri and uploading hilarious (and distinctly) bizarre skits on the internet. One, titled Baby Cult, followed a group of women obsessively fixated on pregnancy; a different one envisioned working at a trendy retail outlet as similar to being trapped in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she met Emma through NYU’s movie community and ended up appearing in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a religious event with echoes of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her career, she says, has been peers giving her a shot, instead of traditional networks. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she repeats, adding humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Those who were skeptical about Sennott then will surely be regretting it currently. In what she labels a “incredibly circular” development, she seems to have achieved the perfect project. Previously she uploaded a clip named “it’s LA” online, in which she lampooned movie previews (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a series about LA residents managing the perks of online celebrity (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your client being suspected of being a intoxicated criminal, and potentially becoming a risky pariah). It would be easy to make a program about internet celebrity that was overly glamorous—or, more problematic, one that belittled at its subjects. I Love LA does neither, resulting in a portrait of privileged millennial existence that’s candid about the chaos and the glamour.
Nuanced Portrayal
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” she comments. “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
