The actress and writer on the hilarious series about the messy allure of Gen Z existence
Rachel Sennott appears on the video call and at once launches into an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, seeming truly regretful. Despite being only slightly late, she needs to clarify. “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!” Fortunately, for a writer, this is precisely what one hopes to encounter. Additionally, it’s quite unsurprising. Anyone who know her unapologetically LGBTQ+ and outspoken film titled Bottoms—that Sennott collaborated on with her creative partner and featured in with close companion Ayo Edebiri—can understand that Sennott holds a lot to say, ranging from about gender, relationships, or the pros of creating a teen brawl society. Furthermore, after watching the latest multi-episode HBO series I Love LA, viewers realize that she holds even more thoughts regarding the darker side of Gen Z life (As a millennial, she serves as an honorary member for this generation, a tale-end millennial with a knack for connecting different age groups).
Guiding Lights and Artistic Direction
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and Sennott admits to being an admirer, referencing the show alongside the HBO hit, Insecure and Donald Glover’s series as guides for the project, which follows the journey of online personality Tallulah and ally who is also aspiring agent portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the most significant presence on concept was reserved for the HBO series, the HBO sitcom focusing on a rising celebrity making his way in an often-seedy Hollywood (memorable line: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She started watching it amid COVID-19, became “captivated”, and resolved to create a new version on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she notes. The concept for this project originated—partly—from firsthand, at first fractious, relocation to Tinseltown and from the astrological phase, a popular event for enthusiasts. That period marked a time that involved her grasp some big insights, in her career 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. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Humble Origins
Brought up in Connecticut, Sennott began writing and performing comedy while pursuing acting at NYU’s Tisch. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she explains. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “None of the university plays cast me either.” “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
Sennott decided to act independently, taking the stage at live shows with Ayo and uploading uproarious (and very) unconventional comedy videos on the internet. One, Baby Cult, depicted several females obsessively drawn to motherhood; a different one envisioned working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being caught in a thriller. Interestingly, she connected with Emma through the university’s film scene and eventually starring in her first film, Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a religious event with hints of the intense thriller. The big theme of her path, she says, has been contemporaries offering opportunities, rather than traditional networks. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she emphasizes, continuing amusedly: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Career Breakthrough
Individuals who had doubts regarding her previously will surely be feeling foolish now. Through she calls a “incredibly circular” story, she seems to have manifested her dream vehicle. Previously she posted a video called on LA life on the internet, in which she mocked film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with the co-writer) of a show about LA residents juggling the perks of digital stardom (such as socializing at a celebrity’s house) with drawbacks (your friend being labeled as being a intoxicated stealer, and potentially becoming a risky persona non grata). It would be simple to produce a program about online fame that was horribly aspirational—or, more problematic, one that belittled at those depicted. I Love LA does neither, creating a depiction of advantaged millennial life that’s frank about the chaos and the glamour.
Nuanced Portrayal
“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” 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
