Rachel Sennott discussing the uproarious comedy depicting the grotty glamour of younger generation life
The star joins the digital interview and at once starts an apology. “Apologies for the delay!” she exclaims, sounding really remorseful. Although she's only a bit delayed, she feels compelled to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Thankfully, for a writer, this is exactly what is ideal to encounter. Besides, it’s pretty unsurprising. Those familiar with the fearlessly LGBTQ+ and brash movie Bottoms—that Sennott collaborated on with Emma Seligman and featured in together with collaborator The Bear’s standout—will understand that Sennott possesses much to discuss, whether about roles, intimacy, or the pros of forming a high-school combat group. Plus, once you finish her new multi-episode HBO series titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star carries even more thoughts regarding the darker side of modern youth (As a millennial, Sennott serves as a relatable figure of the gang, on the cusp skilled for bridging both generations).
Influences and Storytelling Approach
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show can’t be avoided and Sennott admits to being a fan, referencing it together with Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as guides for the project, which follows the travails of a social media star Tallulah and her friend who is also aspiring agent Maia. Notably, the largest influence on the moodboard belonged to Entourage, that HBO sitcom focusing on a rising A-list actor navigating in an often-seedy Hollywood (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott discovered it during the pandemic, became “obsessed”, and decided to put her own twist 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 notes. The idea for I Love LA came—partly—from firsthand, originally fractious, relocation to LA and from the astrological phase, a much-talked-about event for astrology heads. This represented a time that involved her understand some big insights, 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 …”
Humble Origins
Raised in the East Coast, Sennott started developing and showcasing stand-up while pursuing performance 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. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
Sennott seized control, performing at live shows with Ayo and uploading uproarious (and decidedly) unconventional skits digitally. One, titled Baby Cult, followed several females obsessively fixated on motherhood; a different one imagined working at the brand Hollister as like being caught in a scary movie. Interestingly, she encountered Seligman through NYU’s movie community and eventually appearing in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, a tense comedy set at a funeral gathering with echoes of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her journey, she says, has been people her own age supporting her, as opposed to traditional networks. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, continuing with a laugh: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Career Breakthrough
Individuals who were skeptical regarding Sennott earlier will likely be kicking themselves currently. Through she labels a “incredibly circular” story, she seems to have manifested her dream vehicle. In 2019 she uploaded content titled “it’s LA” on social media, in which she parodied Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Six years on, she’s a lead creator (with the co-writer) of a show about Angelenos juggling advantages of online celebrity (such as partying at a famous actor’s house) with drawbacks (your associate being suspected of being a drug-addled thief, and perhaps becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). One might tempting to create a show about internet celebrity that was horribly aspirational—or, worse, one that belittled at its subjects. I Love LA does neither, resulting in a representation of affluent twentysomething life that’s honest about the mess and the shine.
Empathetic Approach
“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” 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