The actress and writer discussing the uproarious series about the messy allure of Gen Z lifestyle
Rachel Sennott joins the digital interview and at once starts an explanation. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, appearing genuinely apologetic. Although she's only a couple of minutes behind, she needs to clarify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Thankfully, in this context, this is just what you want to hear. Besides, it’s fairly unsurprising. Anyone who know her boldly LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass movie Bottoms—that she co-wrote with her creative partner and starred in with her friend the talented actress—can already know that she has much to share, whether about gender, relationships, or the merits of forming a teen fight club. Furthermore, once you finish the recent seasonal show I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she has even more perspectives regarding the darker side of modern youth (As a millennial, Sennott represents a relatable figure to younger audiences, straddling eras with a knack for bridging different age groups).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show are inevitable and the actress admits to being an admirer, citing it in addition to the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as guides for the project, which tracks the travails of an influencer Tallulah and ally and aspiring talent manager Sennott’s character. Notably, the biggest spot on the moodboard was reserved for the popular sitcom, that show depicting an emerging Hollywood star succeeding in a gritty LA scene (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott started watching it amid the pandemic, became “captivated”, and decided to add a fresh perspective on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she notes. The concept for I Love LA emerged—to some extent—from personal, originally difficult, transition to Los Angeles and from the saturn return, a popular occurrence for astrology heads. It was an era that saw her learn major life lessons, professionally and personally. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she recalls. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Starting Out
Growing up in Connecticut, the star commenced creating and acting comedy while studying performance at NYU’s Tisch. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she states. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “None of the university plays cast me either.” “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
Sennott seized control, appearing at amateur nights with Edebiri and uploading hysterical (and distinctly) bizarre comedy videos on the internet. One, titled Baby Cult, centered on a group of women obsessively fixated on having babies; another portrayed working at the brand Hollister as akin to being stuck in a scary movie. Interestingly, she encountered Seligman through NYU’s movie community and ultimately featuring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a religious event with hints of the intense thriller. The central motif of her path, she explains, has been contemporaries offering opportunities, rather than traditional networks. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she confirms, stating with a laugh: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Rising Success
Anyone who had doubts about Sennott previously will certainly be regretting it now. As part of she describes as a “incredibly circular” turn of events, she has achieved an ideal role. Previously she posted a clip called “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she mocked film promos (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Years later, she’s a lead creator (with the co-writer) of a comedy about LA residents managing the perks of internet fame (such as socializing at a famous actor’s house) with drawbacks (your client being accused of being a substance-abusing stealer, and perhaps becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). One might simple to make a program about digital influence that was overly glamorous—or, worse, one that mocked at the characters. This show avoids both, creating a representation of advantaged millennial life that’s honest about the chaos and the glamour.
Empathetic Approach
“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