The actress and writer on the uproarious comedy portraying that chaotic appeal of younger generation existence
Rachel Sennott enters the online meeting and immediately begins an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, sounding really regretful. Despite being only a couple of minutes late, she feels compelled to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Luckily, for a writer, that’s exactly what one hopes to experience. Additionally, it’s pretty predictable. Viewers who have seen her fearlessly LGBTQ+ and brash project Bottoms—that she penned with her creative partner and featured in together with her friend the talented actress—will be aware that she possesses much to share, be it on identity, relationships, or the appeal of forming a youth fight club. Plus, once you finish her latest seasonal program titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star has even more perspectives on the struggles of young adulthood (At 30, she represents an honorary member to younger audiences, on the cusp with a knack for straddling different age groups).
Guiding Lights and Storytelling Approach
Parallels to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and the actress readily acknowledges a fan, referencing it together with the classic series, Insecure and the innovative program as guides for the project, which details the struggles of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend and aspiring representative Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the largest influence on creative vision belonged to Entourage, that program about an up-and-coming celebrity navigating in an often-seedy Hollywood (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She began viewing it amid lockdown, became “captivated”, and resolved to put her own twist 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 inspiration for I Love LA emerged—in part—from personal, initially fractious, move to Tinseltown and from her cosmic event, a frequently discussed event for followers. It was a time that included her understand major truths, professionally and individually. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she recalls. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Humble Origins
Raised in Connecticut, Sennott started creating and acting stand-up while studying acting at a prestigious arts school. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she states. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
She took matters into her own hands, performing at open mics with Ayo and posting hilarious (and distinctly) unconventional online content digitally. One, Baby Cult, followed a group of women intensely drawn to pregnancy; a different one imagined being employed at a trendy retail outlet as like being stuck in a horror film. In a neat twist of fate, she encountered Emma through the university’s film scene and eventually appearing in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful comedy set at a funeral gathering with shades of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her career, she notes, has been peers supporting her, as opposed to established gatekeepers. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, continuing with a laugh: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Manifesting Dreams
Those who were skeptical about her earlier will likely be kicking themselves today. In what she labels a “wild, full-circle” story, she has manifested her dream vehicle. A few years back she shared a clip called “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she lampooned movie previews (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a show about LA residents juggling the perks of digital stardom (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with downsides (your client being suspected of being a substance-abusing criminal, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). It would be simple to produce a show about digital influence that was overly aspirational—or, more problematic, one that belittled at its subjects. I Love LA avoids both, making for a representation of advantaged young adult existence that’s frank about the grot and the appeal.
Empathetic Approach
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” she observes. “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
