Rachel Sennott joins the video call and immediately begins an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she says, appearing really regretful. Although she's only slightly delayed, she wants to justify. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Luckily, for a writer, this is precisely what one hopes to hear. Besides, it’s fairly unsurprising. Anyone familiar with the boldly queer and brash film titled Bottoms—which she collaborated on with her creative partner and starred in with close companion the talented actress—would understand that Sennott holds plenty to say, be it about gender, intimacy, or the appeal of starting a youth combat group. Plus, by the end the new multi-episode program titled I Love LA, it is clear that she holds even more perspectives regarding the darker side of young adulthood (As a millennial, she serves as a relatable figure of the gang, on the cusp skilled for connecting different age groups).
Inspirations and Storytelling Approach
The comparisons to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and the actress is an admirer, naming the show alongside the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and Donald Glover’s series as inspirations for I Love LA, which tracks the struggles of an influencer Tallulah and close companion who is also aspiring representative Maia. Perhaps, the biggest influence on the moodboard went to Entourage, that program focusing on a rising A-list actor succeeding in an often-seedy Hollywood (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She began viewing it throughout the pandemic, became “obsessed”, and chose to put her own twist 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 notes. The inspiration for the series emerged—partly—from firsthand, originally difficult, move to Los Angeles and from the saturn return, a popular event for astrology heads. This represented a phase that saw her learn some big truths, work-wise and in private life. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she recalls. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Starting Out
Raised in Connecticut, Sennott started developing and showcasing comedy while enrolled in performance at NYU’s Tisch. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she says. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
She took matters into her own hands, appearing at amateur nights with Ayo and uploading uproarious (and distinctly) bizarre online content digitally. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, depicted several females obsessively obsessed with pregnancy; a different one portrayed working at a trendy retail outlet as like being trapped in a thriller. By chance, she met Emma through NYU’s movie community and eventually appearing in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a funeral gathering with hints of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her journey, she explains, has been contemporaries supporting her, rather than the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she repeats, continuing humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Rising Success
Those who had doubts regarding Sennott then will surely be kicking themselves currently. Through she describes as a “astonishingly complete” turn of events, she has achieved her dream vehicle. Previously she shared content titled “it’s LA” online, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a series about city dwellers balancing the perks of online celebrity (such as partying at a famous actor’s house) with downsides (your friend being accused of being a drug-addled stealer, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). One might tempting to make a program about internet celebrity that was horribly aspirational—or, even less favorable, one that belittled at its subjects. This show does neither, creating a representation of advantaged young adult living that’s honest about the mess and the appeal.
Balanced Perspective
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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
