Rachel Sennott on her uproarious series portraying the chaotic appeal of younger generation lifestyle
Rachel Sennott appears on the digital interview and right away launches into an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, sounding genuinely remorseful. Despite being only a bit late, she wants to clarify. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Thankfully, in this context, that’s exactly what you want to hear. Besides, it’s pretty predictable. Anyone who know the boldly queer and unapologetically crass project Bottoms—which she collaborated on with the director and starred in with her friend the talented actress—can be aware that Sennott possesses a lot to share, ranging from on roles, sex, or the merits of starting a youth fight club. And, after watching the latest eight-part show titled I Love LA, viewers realize that the star carries further perspectives about the darker side of young adulthood (At 30, she represents a relatable figure to younger audiences, on the cusp skilled for bridging different age groups).
Influences and Creative Vision
The comparisons to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and Sennott readily acknowledges an admirer, citing it alongside Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as inspirations for her series, which follows the journey of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend and aspiring talent manager Maia. Perhaps, the largest spot on concept went to the popular sitcom, the HBO sitcom focusing on an up-and-coming celebrity making his way in a gritty LA scene (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She began viewing it amid lockdown, became “obsessed”, and chose to put her own twist on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she says. The idea for I Love LA emerged—to some extent—from her own, at first rocky, relocation to Tinseltown and from the cosmic event, a frequently discussed event for astrology heads. This represented an era that included her learn major truths, work-wise and personally. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she says. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Humble Origins
Brought up in New England, the star began developing and showcasing comedy while pursuing theatre at a prestigious arts school. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she says. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “None of the university plays cast me either.” “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
She decided to act independently, appearing at live shows with Ayo and sharing hysterical (and very) unconventional comedy videos on the internet. One, Baby Cult, followed characters obsessively drawn to having babies; another envisioned working at a trendy retail outlet as akin to being caught in a scary movie. Interestingly, she encountered Emma through campus film circles and eventually appearing in her first film, Shiva Baby, a tense film set at a religious event with hints of Uncut Gems. The central motif of her path, she explains, has been people her own age giving her a shot, rather than traditional networks. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she emphasizes, stating amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Rising Success
Individuals who had doubts about her previously will certainly be regretting it today. Through she describes as a “astonishingly complete” story, she appears to manifested the perfect project. In 2019 she shared a clip named “it’s LA” on social media, in which she parodied film promos (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Years later, she’s the co-showrunner (with the co-writer) of a show about Angelenos juggling advantages of online celebrity (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your client being suspected of being a intoxicated stealer, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). It would be tempting to produce a show about internet celebrity that was horribly idealized—or, worse, one that mocked at those depicted. The series does neither, creating a depiction of privileged young adult existence that’s honest about the mess and the glamour.
Nuanced Portrayal
“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