Rachel Sennott joins the online meeting and immediately begins an excuse. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, appearing truly apologetic. She is only a bit behind, she feels compelled to clarify. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Thankfully, for a writer, this is exactly what you want to experience. Additionally, it’s pretty expected. Viewers who have seen the fearlessly queer and brash project titled Bottoms—which she penned with Emma Seligman and starred in with her friend The Bear’s standout—can understand that Sennott holds a lot to say, whether on roles, sex, or the pros of forming a high-school combat group. Plus, once you finish her recent eight-part program I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star holds further perspectives about the struggles of young adulthood (At 30, Sennott serves as a relatable figure for this generation, straddling eras adept for straddling different age groups).
Influences and Storytelling Approach
Likenesses to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and the actress admits to being a fan, citing the show together with Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and the innovative program as inspirations for I Love LA, which details the travails of a social media star Tallulah and close companion who is also fledgling agent portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the most significant influence on concept was reserved for Entourage, that HBO sitcom focusing on an emerging celebrity making his way in an often-seedy Hollywood (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She started watching it amid COVID-19, became “captivated”, and decided 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 says. The inspiration for the series emerged—to some extent—from her own, initially fractious, relocation to LA and from the astrological phase, a frequently discussed phenomenon for followers. This represented a time that involved her grasp significant insights, in her career and in private life. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she recalls. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Humble Origins
Growing up in Connecticut, Sennott began developing and showcasing stand-up while enrolled in theatre at a prestigious arts school. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she says. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
Sennott decided to act independently, performing at amateur nights with Ayo and sharing hysterical (and very) unconventional comedy videos digitally. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, depicted several females intensely fixated on motherhood; a different one imagined working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being trapped in a scary movie. By chance, she connected with Emma through NYU’s movie community and eventually appearing in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a Jewish wake with hints of the intense thriller. The big theme of her career, she says, has been peers supporting her, instead of the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, adding humorously: “They don’t want us to win.”
Manifesting Dreams
Individuals who were skeptical about her then will surely be feeling foolish today. Through she describes as a “wild, full-circle” story, she has created her dream vehicle. Previously she shared content titled on LA life online, in which she mocked movie previews (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with Emma Barrie) of a series about Angelenos managing benefits of digital stardom (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with drawbacks (your friend being labeled as being a intoxicated thief, and perhaps becoming a risky persona non grata). One might easy to make a show about online fame that was overly aspirational—or, more problematic, one that belittled at its subjects. This show steers clear of each, resulting in a representation of privileged young adult life that’s candid about the mess 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
