Rachel Sennott joins the video call and at once launches into an excuse. “Apologies for the delay!” she exclaims, appearing really regretful. Despite being only slightly late, she needs 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!” Luckily, in this context, that’s just what is ideal to experience. Moreover, it’s quite expected. Anyone who have seen the fearlessly LGBTQ+ and brash movie titled Bottoms—which she penned with the director and appeared in alongside close companion the talented actress—would understand that Sennott has plenty to share, whether on gender, relationships, or the appeal of creating a youth combat group. Furthermore, once you finish her new multi-episode program I Love LA, it is clear that she carries further perspectives on the challenges of young adulthood (At 30, she is a relatable figure to younger audiences, straddling eras skilled for bridging both generations).
Influences and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls can’t be avoided and Sennott readily acknowledges an admirer, referencing the show alongside the classic series, Insecure and the innovative program as guides for the project, which follows the struggles of a social media star Tallulah and close companion who is also new agent Maia. Perhaps, the biggest presence on the moodboard belonged to Entourage, the program depicting an up-and-coming A-list actor succeeding in a gritty Hollywood (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She started watching it throughout the pandemic, became “captivated”, and chose to create a new version on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she notes. The concept for this project came—partly—from personal, originally rocky, move to Tinseltown and from her saturn return, a frequently discussed phenomenon for enthusiasts. It was a time that involved her understand significant life lessons, in her career and individually. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she recalls. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Humble Origins
Brought up in New England, the star began writing and performing humor while studying theatre at NYU’s Tisch. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she says. “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 decided to act independently, performing at open mics with Ayo and sharing uproarious (and decidedly) unconventional comedy videos online. One, titled Baby Cult, depicted characters fetishistically obsessed with motherhood; a different one imagined being employed at a trendy retail outlet as akin to being trapped in a thriller. By chance, she connected with Emma through NYU’s movie community and ultimately appearing in her initial project, Shiva Baby, a tense film set at a religious event with shades of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her career, she explains, has been people her own age supporting her, instead of established gatekeepers. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “They were not involved”, she confirms, continuing humorously: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Rising Success
Individuals who were skeptical about her earlier will surely be feeling foolish currently. In what she describes as a “wild, full-circle” story, she seems to have created the perfect project. Previously she posted a video titled “it’s LA” on social media, in which she mocked movie previews (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with the co-writer) of a show about LA residents juggling the perks of digital stardom (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your friend being labeled as being a substance-abusing stealer, and possibly becoming a unreliable pariah). It would be easy to produce a series about internet celebrity that was overly idealized—or, worse, one that punched down at those depicted. I Love LA does neither, making for a depiction of affluent millennial life that’s candid about the mess and the shine.
Nuanced Portrayal
“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
