Rachel Sennott enters the video call and right away starts an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, seeming genuinely apologetic. Despite being only a couple of minutes behind, she wants to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Thankfully, in this context, that’s just what you want to experience. Moreover, it’s quite predictable. Viewers who have seen her unapologetically openly gay and outspoken project Bottoms—which Sennott collaborated on with the director and appeared in with collaborator the talented actress—would already know that she has a lot to discuss, be it about roles, sex, or the appeal of forming a youth fight club. And, after watching her recent multi-episode HBO series I Love LA, viewers realize that she holds additional thoughts about the struggles of young adulthood (At 30, Sennott represents a bridge to younger audiences, on the cusp adept for bridging millennials and Gen Z).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
The comparisons to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and Sennott readily acknowledges an admirer, citing it in addition to the classic series, the acclaimed comedy and Donald Glover’s series as guides for her series, which tracks the journey of online personality Tallulah and close companion who is also fledgling representative Maia. Notably, the largest influence on the moodboard belonged to the HBO series, that program focusing on a rising celebrity navigating in a corrupt LA scene (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott began viewing it throughout COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and chose to put her own twist on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she notes. The inspiration for I Love LA emerged—partly—from firsthand, originally rocky, relocation to Los Angeles and from her cosmic event, a much-talked-about phenomenon for astrology heads. That period marked a phase that saw her grasp some big life lessons, work-wise and individually. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she recalls. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Starting Out
Growing up in Connecticut, Sennott started developing and showcasing humor while enrolled in performance at NYU’s Tisch. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she says. “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. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, appearing at live shows with Edebiri and posting hilarious (and distinctly) unconventional skits on the internet. One, titled Baby Cult, depicted several females obsessively fixated on pregnancy; a different one imagined working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being trapped in a horror film. In a neat twist of fate, she connected with Seligman through NYU’s movie community and ultimately starring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a funeral gathering with echoes of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her career, she says, has been people her own age offering opportunities, rather than established gatekeepers. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, adding with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”
Manifesting Dreams
Individuals who questioned about her previously will surely be feeling foolish today. As part of she describes as a “astonishingly complete” turn of events, she seems to have created her dream vehicle. A few years back she posted a clip called on LA life on social media, in which she parodied film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Six years on, she’s the co-showrunner (with her partner) of a comedy about city dwellers managing advantages of internet fame (such as partying at a famous actor’s house) with downsides (your client being accused of being a substance-abusing thief, and possibly becoming a unreliable pariah). It would be simple to make a program about internet celebrity that was horribly idealized—or, more problematic, one that mocked at those depicted. The series does neither, creating a portrait of privileged twentysomething life that’s honest about the grot and the appeal.
Nuanced Portrayal
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” she observes. “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
