The actress and writer on her hilarious show about that messy appeal of younger generation life
Rachel Sennott enters the online meeting and immediately starts an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, appearing truly remorseful. She is only a couple of minutes late, she feels compelled to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Fortunately, for a writer, that’s just what one hopes to hear. Besides, it’s quite unsurprising. Viewers who have seen the boldly LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass film Bottoms—that Sennott co-wrote with her creative partner and featured in alongside collaborator Ayo Edebiri—would already know that Sennott holds much to share, whether on roles, relationships, or the merits of creating a teen combat group. And, after watching the recent multi-episode show I Love LA, it is clear that the star carries even more thoughts regarding the struggles of modern youth (At 30, she represents an honorary member to younger audiences, a tale-end millennial skilled for bridging different age groups).
Inspirations and Creative Vision
Likenesses to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and Sennott readily acknowledges enthusiastic, citing the show together with the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and the innovative program as guides for her series, which follows the struggles of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion and aspiring talent manager Sennott’s character. Notably, the largest presence on creative vision was reserved for Entourage, the HBO sitcom about an emerging Hollywood star making his way in a gritty LA scene (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott began viewing it amid the pandemic, became “hooked”, and chose to create a new version 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 explains. The concept for I Love LA emerged—to some extent—from her own, originally fractious, transition to Los Angeles and from the saturn return, a frequently discussed phenomenon for astrology heads. This represented a phase that included her learn some big insights, in her career and individually. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she recalls. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Early Beginnings
Growing up in the East Coast, the star started developing and showcasing comedy while pursuing acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she states. “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 took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at live shows with Ayo and sharing hysterical (and very) unconventional skits on the internet. A particular video, Baby Cult, followed several females intensely drawn to motherhood; another envisioned being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being stuck in a scary movie. Interestingly, she connected with Seligman through campus film circles and eventually appearing in her initial project, Shiva Baby, a tense film set at a funeral gathering with hints of the Safdie brothers’ movie. A recurring idea of her path, she notes, has been peers offering opportunities, rather than established gatekeepers. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she emphasizes, continuing humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Those who questioned regarding her earlier will surely be regretting it now. As part of she calls a “incredibly circular” story, she has manifested her dream vehicle. Previously she uploaded a video titled about Los Angeles on social media, in which she parodied film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s a lead creator (with her partner) of a show about LA residents balancing benefits of digital stardom (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with drawbacks (your associate being labeled as being a drug-addled thief, and possibly becoming a risky persona non grata). Some could simple to produce a program about internet celebrity that was horribly aspirational—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at the characters. I Love LA avoids both, resulting in a representation of affluent twentysomething life that’s frank about the grot and the appeal.
Balanced Perspective
“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
