Rachel Sennott appears on the video call and immediately begins an apology. “Apologies for the delay!” she says, sounding genuinely regretful. Although she's only a couple of minutes late, she wants to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Fortunately, in this context, this is exactly what one hopes to experience. Moreover, it’s pretty unsurprising. Those who know the boldly queer and outspoken project titled Bottoms—which Sennott penned with Emma Seligman and featured in alongside collaborator The Bear’s standout—would already know that she holds plenty to share, be it about identity, intimacy, or the appeal of starting a high-school fight club. Plus, after watching the new eight-part program I Love LA, viewers realize that the star holds further thoughts regarding the darker side of modern youth (As a millennial, Sennott represents a relatable figure for this generation, a tale-end millennial adept for straddling both generations).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls are inevitable and Sennott admits to being an admirer, referencing the show in addition to the classic series, Insecure and Atlanta as influences for the project, which follows the struggles of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and ally who is also fledgling representative portrayed by Sennott. However, the largest spot on the moodboard went to the popular sitcom, the HBO sitcom depicting a rising celebrity navigating in a gritty entertainment industry (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She started watching it throughout the pandemic, became “obsessed”, and chose to put her own twist 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 notes. The concept for I Love LA originated—partly—from firsthand, originally difficult, transition to Tinseltown and from her cosmic event, a popular event for followers. It was an era that saw her learn some big life lessons, work-wise and in private life. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she says. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Early Beginnings
Brought up in New England, the star began writing and performing humor while pursuing acting at a prestigious arts school. “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. I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, appearing at open mics with her friend and posting hysterical (and decidedly) unconventional skits on the internet. A particular video, Baby Cult, centered on several females fetishistically fixated on motherhood; another envisioned working at a trendy retail outlet as like being stuck in a scary movie. Interestingly, she encountered Emma through NYU’s movie community and ended up featuring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a stressful film set at a religious event with echoes of Uncut Gems. The central motif of her path, she notes, has been peers giving her a shot, instead of the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she emphasizes, continuing humorously: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Career Breakthrough
Those who questioned about her earlier will certainly be feeling foolish now. As part of she calls a “incredibly circular” story, she seems to have manifested the perfect project. In 2019 she shared a clip titled on LA life on social media, in which she parodied movie previews (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Six years on, she’s a lead creator (with the co-writer) of a show about city dwellers managing advantages of online celebrity (such as celebrating at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being labeled as being a intoxicated criminal, and possibly becoming a unreliable pariah). Some could tempting to produce a series about internet celebrity that was extremely idealized—or, worse, one that belittled at those depicted. The series avoids both, creating a depiction of affluent millennial life that’s frank about the grot and the shine.
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 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
