Rachel Sennott joins the digital interview and at once starts an explanation. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she states, appearing genuinely apologetic. Although she's only slightly behind, she wants to explain. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Thankfully, for a writer, that’s exactly what one hopes to encounter. Besides, it’s fairly predictable. Anyone who know her fearlessly queer and outspoken project Bottoms—that Sennott co-wrote with the director and featured in alongside her friend the talented actress—would understand that Sennott holds much to share, ranging from on identity, sex, or the pros of creating a teen combat group. Plus, by the end the new seasonal program I Love LA, viewers realize that the star holds even more thoughts about the struggles of young adulthood (At 30, she is a relatable figure of the gang, straddling eras skilled for straddling millennials and Gen Z).
Influences and Artistic Direction
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and the actress is enthusiastic, naming it together with the HBO hit, Insecure and Donald Glover’s series as influences for I Love LA, which details the travails of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion who is also aspiring agent Sennott’s character. Notably, the most significant presence on the moodboard belonged to Entourage, the HBO sitcom focusing on an up-and-coming Hollywood star navigating in a gritty entertainment industry (choice quote: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She started watching it during COVID-19, became “hooked”, and resolved to add a fresh perspective on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she explains. The inspiration for the series emerged—in part—from personal, originally rocky, move to Los Angeles and from her astrological phase, a popular event for astrology heads. This represented a phase that saw her learn major insights, work-wise and in private life. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she admits. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Starting Out
Raised in the East Coast, Sennott commenced developing and showcasing stand-up while enrolled in acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she states. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “None of the university plays cast me either.” “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
She took matters into her own hands, appearing at open mics with her friend and posting hilarious (and very) unconventional skits online. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, followed characters intensely drawn to having babies; a different one envisioned being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being stuck in a horror film. Interestingly, she encountered Emma through NYU’s movie community and ended up featuring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a stressful comedy set at a funeral gathering with hints of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her career, she notes, has been contemporaries supporting her, rather than traditional networks. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she repeats, adding humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Manifesting Dreams
Anyone who questioned regarding Sennott earlier will likely be regretting it now. Through she calls a “incredibly circular” development, she appears to manifested an ideal role. In 2019 she posted a clip named on LA life online, in which she parodied movie previews (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Years later, she’s a lead creator (with the co-writer) of a show about Angelenos balancing the perks of digital stardom (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your friend being labeled as being a intoxicated stealer, and perhaps becoming a “brand unsafe” pariah). Some could simple to create a series about online fame that was horribly glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that belittled at the characters. This show avoids both, creating a depiction of affluent millennial life that’s frank about the chaos and the shine.
Balanced Perspective
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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