Rachel Sennott joins the digital interview and right away launches into an excuse. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, sounding really regretful. Despite being only a bit late, she needs to clarify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, during an interview, this is precisely what one hopes to hear. Moreover, it’s fairly unsurprising. Viewers who know her unapologetically openly gay and outspoken project titled Bottoms—which she co-wrote with the director and featured in with close companion Ayo Edebiri—will understand that she holds a lot to share, be it on roles, relationships, or the merits of starting a teen fight club. Furthermore, after watching the latest eight-part HBO series I Love LA, it is clear that the star carries additional thoughts about the darker side of modern youth (As a millennial, Sennott serves as an honorary member of the gang, a tale-end millennial skilled for connecting different age groups).
Influences and Storytelling Approach
Likenesses to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and Sennott is an admirer, citing it in addition to Sex and the City, Insecure and the innovative program as guides for I Love LA, which tracks the struggles of online personality Tallulah and close companion and new talent manager portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the most significant spot on concept went to Entourage, that program about a rising A-list actor succeeding in a gritty Hollywood (notable statement: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She discovered it throughout the pandemic, became “obsessed”, and resolved to create a new version 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 explains. The idea for I Love LA came—to some extent—from personal, at first fractious, relocation to Tinseltown and from the cosmic event, a popular phenomenon for enthusiasts. That period marked an era that saw her understand significant truths, in her career and individually. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” 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 resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Humble Origins
Growing up in New England, Sennott commenced developing and showcasing humor while enrolled in acting at NYU’s Tisch. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she states. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at open mics with Edebiri and sharing uproarious (and very) bizarre comedy videos on the internet. A particular video, Baby Cult, depicted a group of women obsessively obsessed with motherhood; another portrayed working at the brand Hollister as akin to being trapped in a thriller. Interestingly, she met Emma through campus film circles and ultimately starring in her first film, Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a Jewish wake with hints of the Safdie brothers’ movie. A recurring idea of her journey, she explains, has been people her own age giving her a shot, rather than established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she confirms, stating humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Rising Success
Individuals who had doubts regarding Sennott earlier will likely be feeling foolish today. As part of she labels a “wild, full-circle” story, she appears to created the perfect project. In 2019 she shared a clip called “it’s LA” online, in which she mocked film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Years later, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a show about Angelenos managing the perks of internet fame (such as socializing at a famous actor’s house) with downsides (your associate being suspected of being a substance-abusing thief, and perhaps becoming a “brand unsafe” pariah). Some could easy to produce a program about internet celebrity that was horribly idealized—or, more problematic, one that punched down at the characters. I Love LA avoids both, creating a depiction of advantaged young adult life that’s honest about the mess and the appeal.
Balanced Perspective
“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
