Rachel Sennott appears on the video call and at once launches into an excuse. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, appearing truly apologetic. She is only a couple of minutes late, she needs to justify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Luckily, in this context, that’s precisely what you want to encounter. Additionally, it’s fairly expected. Anyone familiar with the fearlessly openly gay and brash project titled Bottoms—which she collaborated on with her creative partner and appeared in together with collaborator the talented actress—would be aware that she holds much to discuss, ranging from about identity, intimacy, or the appeal of forming a high-school fight club. And, by the end the new eight-part HBO series I Love LA, viewers realize that the star holds further insights regarding the struggles of young adulthood (At 30, Sennott serves as an honorary member of the gang, a tale-end millennial skilled for connecting both generations).
Inspirations and Creative Vision
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show can’t be avoided and Sennott is a fan, referencing it alongside the classic series, Insecure and Atlanta as guides for the project, which details the struggles of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion and aspiring talent manager Maia. However, the most significant spot on the moodboard went to Entourage, the show focusing on an up-and-coming A-list actor navigating in a corrupt LA scene (choice quote: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She discovered it throughout COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and decided to add a fresh perspective on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she explains. The inspiration for the series originated—in part—from personal, initially fractious, relocation to LA and from her astrological phase, a frequently discussed phenomenon for followers. That period marked a phase that included her learn some big life lessons, work-wise and personally. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she recalls. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Starting Out
Growing up in the East Coast, the star started developing and showcasing stand-up while studying theatre at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she says. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
Sennott decided to act independently, taking the stage at amateur nights with her friend and posting uproarious (and distinctly) unconventional skits online. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, centered on a group of women intensely fixated on having babies; a different one imagined working at the brand Hollister as similar to being trapped in a thriller. In a neat twist of fate, she met Emma through the university’s film scene and ended up starring in her first film, Shiva Baby, a tense film set at a religious event with hints of the intense thriller. The central motif of her career, she says, has been peers giving her a shot, as opposed to the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, adding amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”
Career Breakthrough
Individuals who had doubts about Sennott previously will likely be kicking themselves now. Through she describes as a “incredibly circular” development, she appears to achieved an ideal role. In 2019 she shared a clip titled about Los Angeles on social media, in which she parodied Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a show about LA residents juggling benefits of online celebrity (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with drawbacks (your friend being labeled as being a substance-abusing stealer, and potentially becoming a risky pariah). One might simple to produce a show about digital influence that was horribly idealized—or, worse, one that mocked at its subjects. I Love LA steers clear of each, making for a portrait of advantaged millennial existence that’s frank about the grot and the appeal.
Empathetic Approach
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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
