Rachel Sennott on the hilarious series depicting that grotty allure of younger generation lifestyle
Rachel Sennott joins the online meeting and immediately launches into an explanation. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, seeming genuinely regretful. Although she's only slightly delayed, she needs to justify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, during an interview, that’s precisely what you want to hear. Besides, it’s fairly expected. Viewers familiar with her unapologetically queer and outspoken movie titled Bottoms—that Sennott collaborated on with her creative partner and appeared in alongside her friend Ayo Edebiri—would be aware that Sennott has plenty to discuss, ranging from on roles, relationships, or the pros of starting a youth brawl society. Furthermore, by the end the recent seasonal program titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star carries additional thoughts regarding the struggles of young adulthood (Now in her thirties, she represents a bridge for this generation, straddling eras adept for connecting millennials and Gen Z).
Influences and Creative Vision
The comparisons to the iconic series Girls can’t be avoided and the actress admits to being an admirer, citing it alongside the classic series, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as guides for the project, which follows the travails of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend and fledgling representative Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the largest presence on the moodboard went to the HBO series, the show depicting an emerging celebrity navigating in an often-seedy LA scene (memorable line: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott discovered it amid the pandemic, became “captivated”, and resolved to create a new version 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 explains. The concept for the series came—in part—from firsthand, originally fractious, relocation to Tinseltown and from the cosmic event, a much-talked-about occurrence for astrology heads. It was a phase that involved her grasp major life lessons, in her career and in private life. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she admits. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Humble Origins
Raised in Connecticut, Sennott began writing and performing comedy while pursuing performance 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 explains. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “None of the university plays cast me either.” “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
She took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at open mics with her friend and sharing hilarious (and distinctly) bizarre online content digitally. A particular video, Baby Cult, depicted several females fetishistically obsessed with motherhood; another portrayed working at a trendy retail outlet as similar to being stuck in a horror film. By chance, she connected with Seligman through campus film circles and ultimately starring in her initial project, Shiva Baby, a tense comedy set at a funeral gathering with hints of Uncut Gems. The central motif of her career, she explains, has been people her own age supporting her, as opposed to established gatekeepers. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, stating humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Manifesting Dreams
Individuals who had doubts about Sennott then will likely be feeling foolish now. As part of she describes as a “incredibly circular” turn of events, she has manifested her dream vehicle. A few years back she posted content named about Los Angeles on social media, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with her partner) of a comedy about city dwellers balancing advantages of online celebrity (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with drawbacks (your client being labeled as being a substance-abusing criminal, and possibly becoming a risky pariah). Some could tempting to make a show about online fame that was overly aspirational—or, even less favorable, one that mocked at its subjects. I Love LA does neither, making for a representation of privileged millennial living that’s frank about the mess and the appeal.
Balanced Perspective
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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