Rachel Sennott on the side-splitting show portraying that grotty glamour of Gen Z existence
The performer appears on the online meeting and right away starts an excuse. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, sounding truly remorseful. Despite being only a couple of minutes delayed, she needs to justify. “My phone conversations always run long.” I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Fortunately, during an interview, this is just what one hopes to experience. Additionally, it’s pretty predictable. Anyone who know the unapologetically queer and outspoken film Bottoms—that she co-wrote with Emma Seligman and appeared in with collaborator Ayo Edebiri—would already know that she possesses plenty to say, whether about identity, relationships, or the merits of creating a teen fight club. Furthermore, once you finish her recent seasonal show titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she has further thoughts on the struggles of young adulthood (As a millennial, Sennott serves as a bridge for this generation, straddling eras skilled for bridging millennials and Gen Z).
Inspirations and Storytelling Approach
Likenesses to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and Sennott admits to being enthusiastic, citing it together with the classic series, Insecure and Atlanta as inspirations for I Love LA, which details the journey of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend who is also fledgling representative Maia. Notably, the biggest presence on the moodboard was reserved for the HBO series, that HBO sitcom about an emerging celebrity succeeding in a gritty LA scene (choice quote: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott started watching it throughout the pandemic, became “captivated”, and chose to put her own twist on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she says. The idea for the series came—partly—from her own, initially fractious, move to Tinseltown and from the astrological phase, a much-talked-about event for astrology heads. This represented a time that saw her grasp significant truths, professionally and in private life. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she says. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Early Beginnings
Growing up in New England, Sennott commenced developing and showcasing humor while pursuing acting at a prestigious arts school. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she explains. “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.”
She decided to act independently, performing at amateur nights with Edebiri and uploading hysterical (and distinctly) unconventional comedy videos on the internet. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, centered on characters intensely fixated on motherhood; a different one portrayed being employed at a trendy retail outlet as like being trapped in a thriller. Interestingly, she connected with Seligman through campus film circles and ultimately starring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a Jewish wake with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The big theme of her path, she says, has been people her own age supporting her, as opposed to the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, stating amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Anyone who had doubts regarding Sennott then will likely be kicking themselves currently. As part of she labels a “astonishingly complete” story, she seems to have created her dream vehicle. In 2019 she shared a video called on LA life on social media, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Six years on, she’s a lead creator (with her partner) of a series about LA residents juggling the perks of digital stardom (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with drawbacks (your friend being labeled as being a intoxicated criminal, and potentially becoming a risky persona non grata). One might easy to create a program about digital influence that was extremely idealized—or, even less favorable, one that belittled at the characters. This show avoids both, resulting in a portrait of advantaged young adult existence that’s honest about the chaos and the shine.
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 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