The actress and writer exploring her uproarious series portraying that grotty appeal of younger generation life
Rachel Sennott joins the video call and right away starts an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she says, sounding truly remorseful. Although she's only a couple of minutes delayed, she feels compelled to justify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Fortunately, during an interview, that’s precisely what one hopes to experience. Besides, it’s fairly unsurprising. Anyone who know the fearlessly openly gay and outspoken movie Bottoms—that she co-wrote with Emma Seligman and appeared in together with close companion the talented actress—would already know that she holds a lot to say, be it on identity, sex, or the merits of forming a high-school combat group. And, once you finish the latest eight-part HBO series I Love LA, viewers realize that the star holds further thoughts regarding the darker side of Gen Z life (As a millennial, Sennott serves as a relatable figure of the gang, straddling eras adept for straddling millennials and Gen Z).
Guiding Lights and Artistic Direction
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s Girls are inevitable and the actress admits to being a fan, referencing the show in addition to Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as guides for I Love LA, which follows the travails of a social media star Tallulah and her friend who is also fledgling talent manager Sennott’s character. However, the biggest spot on creative vision went to the HBO series, the HBO sitcom depicting an emerging celebrity making his way in a corrupt Hollywood (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She discovered it during lockdown, became “captivated”, and decided to create a new version on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she says. The idea for I Love LA originated—in part—from her own, initially rocky, move to Tinseltown and from the astrological phase, a popular event for followers. That period marked a phase that included her grasp some big truths, professionally and personally. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she recalls. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Starting Out
Growing up in New England, the star commenced developing and showcasing stand-up while studying acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she says. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “None of the university plays cast me either.” “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
Sennott decided to act independently, appearing at amateur nights with Ayo and sharing hysterical (and very) bizarre comedy videos online. One, Baby Cult, centered on a group of women obsessively obsessed with motherhood; another portrayed being employed at a trendy retail outlet as similar to being caught in a scary movie. By chance, she connected with Emma through the university’s film scene and eventually featuring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a religious event with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. A recurring idea of her journey, she explains, has been people her own age offering opportunities, as opposed to the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, stating with a laugh: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Manifesting Dreams
Anyone who were skeptical about her then will surely be kicking themselves now. Through she calls a “incredibly circular” turn of events, she has created her dream vehicle. A few years back she uploaded a clip called “it’s LA” online, in which she parodied film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a show about Angelenos juggling the perks of digital stardom (such as partying at a famous actor’s house) with drawbacks (your friend being accused of being a drug-addled criminal, and possibly becoming a unreliable persona non grata). One might simple to create a series about digital influence that was overly aspirational—or, more problematic, one that punched down at those depicted. This show avoids both, making for a portrait of privileged millennial life that’s honest about the mess and the appeal.
Nuanced Portrayal
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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
