Rachel Sennott enters the digital interview and right away starts an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, appearing genuinely remorseful. Despite being only slightly behind, she wants to clarify. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Luckily, for a writer, that’s precisely what you want to hear. Besides, it’s quite predictable. Anyone who have seen the fearlessly LGBTQ+ and outspoken project titled Bottoms—which she collaborated on with her creative partner and starred in with close companion The Bear’s standout—would be aware that she possesses much to share, be it on roles, intimacy, or the appeal of starting a teen fight club. Plus, once you finish the latest seasonal program I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star carries additional insights about the challenges of Gen Z life (At 30, Sennott is an honorary member for this generation, straddling eras skilled for straddling millennials and Gen Z).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and the actress admits to being enthusiastic, referencing it in addition to the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and Donald Glover’s series as guides for the project, which tracks the journey of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and ally who is also aspiring agent portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the biggest influence on creative vision belonged to the HBO series, the HBO sitcom about an emerging A-list actor succeeding in a corrupt Hollywood (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott started watching it amid lockdown, became “obsessed”, 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 notes. The concept for I Love LA emerged—to some extent—from firsthand, originally rocky, transition to LA and from her astrological phase, a frequently discussed event for followers. This represented an era that saw her learn significant truths, professionally and in private life. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she says. “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
Brought up in New England, Sennott began creating and acting comedy while studying theatre at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she explains. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. 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, performing at amateur nights with Edebiri and posting uproarious (and distinctly) weird comedy videos digitally. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, depicted characters fetishistically fixated on motherhood; another portrayed being employed at a trendy retail outlet as like being stuck in a scary movie. Interestingly, she encountered Seligman through NYU’s movie community and eventually starring in her initial project, Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a religious event with shades of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The big theme of her career, she notes, has been peers giving her a shot, rather than the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, continuing amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”
Manifesting Dreams
Individuals who questioned about her earlier will likely be regretting it today. Through she describes as a “wild, full-circle” development, she seems to have manifested her dream vehicle. Previously she shared content titled on LA life on the internet, in which she mocked film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s the co-showrunner (with her partner) of a comedy about city dwellers juggling benefits of digital stardom (such as partying at a famous actor’s house) with downsides (your friend being suspected of being a drug-addled criminal, and perhaps becoming a risky outcast). Some could tempting to make a show about online fame that was overly glamorous—or, worse, one that punched down at the characters. I Love LA avoids both, creating a portrait of privileged young adult existence that’s candid about the chaos and the appeal.
Empathetic Approach
“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
