Rachel Sennott enters the digital interview and right away launches into an explanation. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, appearing really remorseful. Although she's only a bit behind, she needs to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Luckily, in this context, this is precisely what one hopes to experience. Additionally, it’s fairly expected. Those familiar with her unapologetically queer and brash film titled Bottoms—which Sennott collaborated on with her creative partner and appeared in together with close companion Ayo Edebiri—will already know that she possesses much to share, be it about gender, sex, or the appeal of starting a youth brawl society. Plus, by the end the new seasonal show titled I Love LA, it is clear that she holds further perspectives regarding the darker side of young adulthood (Now in her thirties, Sennott serves as an honorary member for this generation, straddling eras skilled for bridging different age groups).
Inspirations and Creative Vision
Likenesses to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and the actress admits to being enthusiastic, referencing the show alongside Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and Donald Glover’s series as guides for her series, which tracks the journey of a social media star Tallulah and close companion and new representative Sennott’s character. However, the largest presence on the moodboard was reserved for Entourage, the show about a rising A-list actor succeeding in a gritty entertainment industry (memorable line: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott started watching it throughout COVID-19, became “captivated”, and decided to put her own twist on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she says. The concept for this project originated—to some extent—from firsthand, at first rocky, move to LA and from the saturn return, a much-talked-about event for followers. This represented a phase that saw her learn significant insights, work-wise and personally. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she says. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Starting Out
Brought up in New England, Sennott started developing and showcasing comedy while enrolled in acting at a prestigious arts school. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she says. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
Sennott seized control, taking the stage at amateur nights with her friend and posting hilarious (and very) bizarre online content digitally. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, centered on characters obsessively fixated on motherhood; a different one envisioned working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being trapped in a horror film. Interestingly, she met Emma through NYU’s movie community and ultimately appearing in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a Jewish wake with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her path, she explains, has been people her own age supporting her, as opposed to the industry at large. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, stating amusedly: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Manifesting Dreams
Those who had doubts regarding her earlier will surely be regretting it currently. Through she describes as a “wild, full-circle” story, she seems to have manifested the perfect project. In 2019 she posted content called “it’s LA” online, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Years later, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a show about Angelenos managing the perks of online celebrity (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your client being accused of being a drug-addled stealer, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). One might simple to produce a show about internet celebrity that was extremely idealized—or, worse, one that punched down at those depicted. I Love LA does neither, making for a portrait of privileged young adult existence that’s honest about the chaos and the shine.
Empathetic Approach
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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
