Rachel Sennott enters the video call and at once launches into an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, seeming truly apologetic. She is only slightly behind, she feels compelled to clarify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Fortunately, for a writer, that’s precisely what one hopes to experience. Moreover, it’s quite predictable. Those who have seen her fearlessly queer and outspoken film Bottoms—that she co-wrote with Emma Seligman and starred in with collaborator The Bear’s standout—would already know that Sennott has plenty to say, whether on roles, relationships, or the appeal of creating a youth combat group. Plus, after watching the recent seasonal HBO series titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star carries even more thoughts on the darker side of young adulthood (At 30, she is a relatable figure of the gang, on the cusp with a knack for straddling different age groups).
Influences and Artistic Direction
Parallels to the iconic series Girls can’t be avoided and the actress admits to being an admirer, citing the show together with the classic series, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as guides for her series, which details the journey of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend who is also fledgling agent Sennott’s character. Notably, the largest influence on concept went to the HBO series, that program about a rising celebrity navigating in a corrupt entertainment industry (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She discovered it throughout the pandemic, became “captivated”, and decided to put her own twist on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she notes. The idea for this project came—partly—from her own, initially rocky, move to LA and from her cosmic event, a frequently discussed event for followers. This represented a time that saw her understand significant life lessons, professionally and personally. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she says. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Early Beginnings
Raised in New England, Sennott started developing and showcasing comedy while pursuing acting at NYU’s Tisch. “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. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
Sennott seized control, performing at amateur nights with her friend and uploading uproarious (and decidedly) weird comedy videos online. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, centered on several females fetishistically fixated on motherhood; another portrayed being employed at a trendy retail outlet as similar to being stuck in a thriller. In a neat twist of fate, she encountered Seligman through NYU’s movie community and ultimately featuring in her initial project, Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a funeral gathering with shades of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her career, she says, has been people her own age offering opportunities, as opposed to traditional networks. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, adding humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Manifesting Dreams
Those who had doubts regarding Sennott then will surely be kicking themselves today. As part of she labels a “wild, full-circle” turn of events, she appears to created an ideal role. A few years back she shared a video named on LA life online, in which she lampooned movie previews (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with the co-writer) of a show about city dwellers juggling benefits of online celebrity (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your friend being labeled as being a drug-addled stealer, and potentially becoming a unreliable outcast). It would be simple to create a program about digital influence that was horribly glamorous—or, more problematic, one that punched down at its subjects. I Love LA avoids both, making for a portrait of advantaged twentysomething living that’s frank about the grot 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
