The actress and writer on her side-splitting comedy depicting that grotty glamour of younger generation lifestyle
Rachel Sennott joins the online meeting and at once starts an apology. “Apologies for the delay!” she exclaims, appearing genuinely remorseful. Despite being only slightly late, she needs to justify. “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 precisely what one hopes to hear. Additionally, it’s fairly predictable. Those familiar with the unapologetically queer and outspoken film titled Bottoms—that Sennott collaborated on with Emma Seligman and appeared in alongside her friend the talented actress—will be aware that Sennott holds a lot to discuss, ranging from about roles, sex, or the appeal of forming a teen brawl society. Furthermore, by the end the latest eight-part show titled I Love LA, it is clear that she carries even more perspectives on the struggles of Gen Z life (Now in her thirties, Sennott serves as a relatable figure to younger audiences, on the cusp adept for straddling both generations).
Influences and Storytelling Approach
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and the actress is a fan, referencing it together with the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as guides for I Love LA, which tracks the travails of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend and aspiring talent manager Sennott’s character. Notably, the largest spot on creative vision belonged to the popular sitcom, that program about a rising celebrity navigating in a corrupt Hollywood (memorable line: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott discovered it throughout lockdown, became “obsessed”, and decided to add a fresh perspective on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she explains. The concept for this project originated—partly—from firsthand, initially difficult, move to LA and from the astrological phase, a popular event for enthusiasts. 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 recalls. “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
Growing up in the East Coast, the star started creating and acting comedy while enrolled in acting at NYU’s Tisch. “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. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
Sennott decided to act independently, appearing at live shows with Ayo and uploading hysterical (and distinctly) weird skits on the internet. One, titled Baby Cult, depicted a group of women obsessively drawn to motherhood; a different one portrayed working at a trendy retail outlet as like being stuck in a thriller. Interestingly, she met Seligman through campus film circles and eventually appearing in her first film, Shiva Baby, a tense comedy set at a religious event with echoes of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her journey, she explains, has been peers offering opportunities, instead of the industry at large. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, stating with a laugh: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Rising Success
Anyone who questioned about her previously will surely be feeling foolish currently. Through she describes as a “astonishingly complete” story, she has manifested the perfect project. In 2019 she posted a video named “it’s LA” online, in which she parodied Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Six years on, she’s a lead creator (with the co-writer) of a comedy about city dwellers juggling the perks of internet fame (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your associate being labeled as being a drug-addled criminal, and possibly becoming a unreliable outcast). Some could easy to produce a show about internet celebrity that was horribly aspirational—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at those depicted. The series steers clear of each, resulting in a representation of privileged millennial life that’s frank about the chaos and the shine.
Balanced Perspective
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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
