Rachel Sennott exploring her uproarious series about that messy glamour of today's youth lifestyle
The star joins the video call and right away launches into an apology. “Apologies for the delay!” she says, seeming genuinely remorseful. Despite being only a bit behind, she feels compelled to clarify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Fortunately, for a writer, that’s just what one hopes to experience. Besides, it’s quite predictable. Those who have seen the fearlessly queer and outspoken film titled Bottoms—that she penned with the director and starred in alongside her friend the talented actress—would be aware that she possesses much to discuss, whether about identity, relationships, or the merits of forming a high-school combat group. And, after watching her new seasonal program titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she carries even more insights regarding the darker side of Gen Z life (As a millennial, she serves as an honorary member of the gang, on the cusp skilled for connecting millennials and Gen Z).
Inspirations and Creative Vision
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s Girls can’t be avoided and Sennott is a fan, citing it alongside the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and Donald Glover’s series as guides for the project, which follows the travails of a social media star Tallulah and close companion and aspiring representative portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the most significant influence on concept belonged to the popular sitcom, that program focusing on an emerging A-list actor making his way in a gritty entertainment industry (notable statement: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She started watching it throughout the pandemic, became “obsessed”, and decided to add a fresh perspective on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she explains. The concept for this project came—to some extent—from her own, originally difficult, relocation to Los Angeles and from the saturn return, a much-talked-about event for astrology heads. It was a phase that involved her understand significant truths, in her career and in private life. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she admits. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Early Beginnings
Raised in New England, Sennott began writing and performing comedy while enrolled in 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 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. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
She took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at open mics with Edebiri and sharing hysterical (and distinctly) unconventional online content online. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, followed several females intensely drawn to motherhood; another imagined working at the brand Hollister as akin to being caught in a thriller. By chance, she encountered Seligman through the university’s film scene and ended up starring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a religious event with hints of the Safdie brothers’ movie. A recurring idea of her journey, she explains, has been people her own age supporting her, as opposed to established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she confirms, continuing humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Rising Success
Anyone who had doubts regarding Sennott previously will surely be regretting it today. As part of she describes as a “astonishingly complete” story, she has achieved the perfect project. Previously she uploaded a video called about Los Angeles on social media, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Six years on, she’s a lead creator (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about LA residents balancing advantages of digital stardom (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being labeled as being a intoxicated criminal, and perhaps becoming a risky outcast). One might simple to make a series about online fame that was horribly aspirational—or, more problematic, one that punched down at the characters. I Love LA does neither, resulting in a depiction of affluent millennial living that’s honest about the chaos and the shine.
Balanced Perspective
“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” 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