Rachel Sennott joins the online meeting and right away begins an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, seeming genuinely regretful. Although she's only a bit behind, she needs to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, for a writer, that’s exactly what one hopes to experience. Besides, it’s fairly predictable. Those who know her unapologetically LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass project titled Bottoms—which she co-wrote with Emma Seligman and appeared in with close companion The Bear’s standout—will be aware that she possesses a lot to share, be it on identity, intimacy, or the appeal of forming a teen combat group. And, by the end the recent multi-episode show I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she carries additional perspectives on the struggles of modern youth (As a millennial, Sennott represents a bridge to younger audiences, a tale-end millennial with a knack for straddling both generations).
Influences and Storytelling Approach
Parallels to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and Sennott is enthusiastic, naming the show in addition to Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as inspirations for her series, which details the struggles of a social media star Tallulah and ally and new agent portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the largest influence on creative vision went to the popular sitcom, that HBO sitcom about an up-and-coming Hollywood star succeeding in a gritty entertainment industry (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott started watching it throughout lockdown, became “captivated”, and decided to put her own twist on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she explains. The inspiration for I Love LA came—partly—from her own, at first difficult, move to Los Angeles and from her saturn return, a frequently discussed phenomenon for followers. It was a phase that involved her grasp major life lessons, in her career 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…”
Starting Out
Brought up in New England, the star began creating and acting comedy while pursuing performance at a prestigious arts school. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she states. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She decided to act independently, taking the stage at open mics with Edebiri and uploading hilarious (and decidedly) weird online content on the internet. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, centered on characters fetishistically obsessed with pregnancy; a different one portrayed working at a trendy retail outlet as akin to being trapped in a horror film. By chance, she connected with Seligman through campus film circles and ended up featuring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a funeral gathering with shades of Uncut Gems. A recurring idea of her journey, she explains, has been contemporaries offering opportunities, instead of traditional networks. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, adding humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Manifesting Dreams
Individuals who were skeptical regarding her then will certainly be kicking themselves today. Through she describes as a “wild, full-circle” turn of events, she seems to have achieved an ideal role. In 2019 she posted a clip named about Los Angeles online, in which she mocked film promos (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Years later, she’s a lead creator (with Emma Barrie) of a show about Angelenos balancing benefits of internet fame (such as socializing at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your associate being accused of being a drug-addled criminal, and possibly becoming a risky persona non grata). It would be simple to make a show about internet celebrity that was extremely aspirational—or, worse, one that mocked at the characters. This show avoids both, resulting in a portrait of advantaged young adult living that’s candid about the grot and the shine.
Balanced Perspective
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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
