Rachel Sennott enters the video call and immediately launches into an excuse. “Apologies for the delay!” she exclaims, appearing truly remorseful. She is only slightly behind, she feels compelled to justify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Thankfully, for a writer, this is exactly what you want to experience. Besides, it’s pretty expected. Those who have seen her fearlessly LGBTQ+ and outspoken project Bottoms—which she co-wrote with Emma Seligman and featured in with close companion the talented actress—will be aware that she has much to discuss, whether on identity, intimacy, or the merits of forming a teen brawl society. Furthermore, after watching her new seasonal program titled I Love LA, it is clear that the star carries further insights on the challenges of modern youth (As a millennial, she is an honorary member of the gang, a tale-end millennial adept for connecting millennials and Gen Z).
Inspirations and Storytelling Approach
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and the actress readily acknowledges an admirer, naming the show in addition to Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and Donald Glover’s series as inspirations for the project, which follows the struggles of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion and new agent portrayed by Sennott. However, the biggest spot on concept was reserved for the HBO series, the HBO sitcom about an up-and-coming A-list actor succeeding in a gritty LA scene (choice quote: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She began viewing it throughout the pandemic, became “captivated”, and chose to create a new version 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 says. The inspiration for I Love LA came—to some extent—from her own, initially difficult, move to Tinseltown and from the cosmic event, a much-talked-about phenomenon for astrology heads. That period marked a phase that included her grasp some big life lessons, in her career and in private life. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she says. “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 …”
Early Beginnings
Raised in the East Coast, Sennott started creating and acting comedy while enrolled in acting at a prestigious arts school. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she says. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She seized control, performing at open mics with Ayo and posting hilarious (and decidedly) weird skits online. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, followed several females fetishistically drawn to pregnancy; a different one envisioned being employed at a trendy retail outlet as similar to being caught in a scary movie. Interestingly, she connected with Emma through NYU’s movie community and ultimately featuring in her first film, Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a funeral gathering with echoes of the intense thriller. The big theme of her career, she says, has been people her own age offering opportunities, instead of traditional networks. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she emphasizes, adding with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”
Career Breakthrough
Those who questioned about Sennott earlier will likely be feeling foolish today. In what she describes as a “wild, full-circle” development, she appears to achieved her dream vehicle. A few years back she uploaded a video called “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she lampooned movie previews (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a show about city dwellers balancing benefits of digital stardom (such as partying at a famous actor’s house) with downsides (your associate being labeled as being a drug-addled stealer, and possibly becoming a risky persona non grata). Some could easy to produce a program about digital influence that was overly glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at its subjects. I Love LA avoids both, making for a portrait of privileged young adult living that’s honest about the chaos and the glamour.
Balanced Perspective
“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
