The actress and writer discussing her uproarious series about that chaotic allure of Gen Z existence
Rachel Sennott enters the online meeting and immediately begins an apology. “Apologies for the delay!” she says, seeming really regretful. She is only a couple of minutes behind, she feels compelled to explain. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Fortunately, in this context, that’s exactly what one hopes to hear. Additionally, it’s quite unsurprising. Viewers familiar with her fearlessly LGBTQ+ and outspoken project Bottoms—that Sennott co-wrote with the director and starred in together with her friend The Bear’s standout—would understand that Sennott possesses a lot to discuss, be it about identity, sex, or the pros of starting a teen combat group. Plus, by the end her recent seasonal show titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she carries even more perspectives on the struggles of modern youth (At 30, she serves as a relatable figure to younger audiences, straddling eras adept for connecting millennials and Gen Z).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s Girls can’t be avoided and the actress is a fan, referencing the show together with Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as influences for I Love LA, which tracks the travails of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion who is also aspiring representative portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the largest presence on the moodboard was reserved for Entourage, that show about a rising A-list actor navigating in an often-seedy Hollywood (choice quote: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott discovered it throughout the pandemic, became “hooked”, and decided to create a new version on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she explains. The concept for I Love LA originated—partly—from her own, originally fractious, move to LA and from the saturn return, a frequently discussed phenomenon for enthusiasts. This represented an era that involved her learn significant truths, in her career and individually. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she says. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Humble Origins
Growing up in New England, the star commenced creating and acting stand-up while studying theatre 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 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?”
Sennott decided to act independently, performing at amateur nights with her friend and uploading hilarious (and very) bizarre comedy videos digitally. One, titled Baby Cult, followed characters obsessively drawn to motherhood; another imagined working at the brand Hollister as akin to being trapped in a thriller. Interestingly, she connected with Emma through campus film circles and ended up appearing in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, a tense film set at a religious event with echoes of the intense thriller. The big theme of her path, she notes, has been contemporaries supporting her, as opposed to established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she repeats, stating humorously: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Rising Success
Individuals who were skeptical regarding Sennott then will surely be feeling foolish now. In what she labels a “astonishingly complete” story, she seems to have achieved the perfect project. In 2019 she uploaded content titled about Los Angeles on social media, in which she mocked movie previews (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Years later, she’s the co-showrunner (with the co-writer) of a series about city dwellers balancing the perks of digital stardom (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your client being accused of being a substance-abusing criminal, and perhaps becoming a risky outcast). Some could easy to create a show about digital influence that was overly aspirational—or, even less favorable, one that mocked at the characters. I Love LA steers clear of each, making for a portrait of affluent millennial living that’s candid about the chaos and the shine.
Balanced Perspective
“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
