Rachel Sennott enters the video call and immediately launches into an excuse. “Apologies for the delay!” she says, sounding truly apologetic. Although she's only slightly behind, she needs to clarify. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Fortunately, during an interview, this is precisely what one hopes to encounter. Additionally, it’s quite expected. Those familiar with her fearlessly openly gay and brash film titled Bottoms—that she penned with her creative partner and starred in alongside close companion Ayo Edebiri—would already know that Sennott has much to share, ranging from about identity, sex, or the appeal of starting a high-school brawl society. And, after watching the latest multi-episode show titled I Love LA, viewers realize that the star has additional perspectives about the struggles of young adulthood (At 30, she represents a bridge of the gang, on the cusp with a knack for connecting millennials and Gen Z).
Influences and Creative Vision
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show are inevitable and the actress admits to being enthusiastic, referencing it in addition to the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as inspirations for I Love LA, which follows the travails of an influencer Tallulah and ally and fledgling talent manager Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the largest presence on concept belonged to the popular sitcom, that program about an up-and-coming Hollywood star navigating in a corrupt Hollywood (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott began viewing it throughout COVID-19, became “captivated”, and resolved to create a new version on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she says. The inspiration for I Love LA emerged—in part—from firsthand, originally rocky, relocation to Los Angeles and from the astrological phase, a frequently discussed phenomenon for followers. This represented a time that involved her understand major truths, in her career and individually. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she recalls. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Starting Out
Raised in the East Coast, Sennott started creating and acting humor while pursuing theatre at NYU’s Tisch. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she states. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She took matters into her own hands, appearing at live shows with Edebiri and posting uproarious (and very) weird comedy videos online. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, followed characters fetishistically fixated on pregnancy; a different one envisioned working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being trapped in a thriller. By chance, she met Emma through the university’s film scene and eventually appearing in her first film, Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a religious event with hints of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her journey, she notes, has been contemporaries supporting her, as opposed to traditional networks. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “They were not involved”, she confirms, continuing amusedly: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Career Breakthrough
Individuals who questioned about her previously will certainly be feeling foolish now. Through she labels a “astonishingly complete” story, she has achieved her dream vehicle. In 2019 she posted a clip named about Los Angeles on social media, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with her partner) of a show about LA residents managing the perks of internet fame (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with drawbacks (your client being suspected of being a drug-addled stealer, and perhaps becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). Some could easy to create a series about digital influence that was extremely glamorous—or, more problematic, one that mocked at the characters. I Love LA steers clear of each, resulting in a depiction of advantaged young adult living that’s honest about the grot and the appeal.
Nuanced Portrayal
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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
