Rachel Sennott enters the video call and immediately launches into an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she exclaims, seeming really apologetic. She is only slightly delayed, she feels compelled to justify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Fortunately, during an interview, this is exactly what you want to hear. Moreover, it’s pretty expected. Those who know the fearlessly LGBTQ+ and outspoken movie Bottoms—that she collaborated on with her creative partner and appeared in alongside her friend the talented actress—will already know that she possesses plenty to discuss, whether about identity, sex, or the appeal of creating a high-school brawl society. Plus, once you finish the new multi-episode show I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she holds further perspectives about the darker side of young adulthood (At 30, she is an honorary member of the gang, on the cusp adept for connecting millennials and Gen Z).
Guiding Lights and Storytelling Approach
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and Sennott is a fan, citing it in addition to the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as inspirations for I Love LA, which tracks the struggles of online personality Tallulah and ally who is also aspiring talent manager Sennott’s character. However, the largest influence on concept was reserved for Entourage, the show focusing on an up-and-coming A-list actor succeeding in a gritty entertainment industry (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott started watching it during COVID-19, became “hooked”, and chose to create a new version on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she explains. The inspiration for this project originated—to some extent—from firsthand, at first fractious, move to Los Angeles and from the astrological phase, a popular event for followers. It was a phase that involved her learn major life lessons, work-wise and personally. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she says. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Early Beginnings
Raised in New England, Sennott commenced writing and performing comedy while enrolled in performance at a prestigious arts school. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she explains. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “None of the university plays cast me either.” “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
Sennott seized control, performing at open mics with Ayo and uploading uproarious (and distinctly) weird comedy videos digitally. One, titled Baby Cult, followed several females intensely obsessed with having babies; a different one envisioned being employed at the brand Hollister as like being trapped in a thriller. In a neat twist of fate, she met Emma through campus film circles and eventually appearing in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a religious event with hints of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her path, she explains, has been peers giving her a shot, instead of traditional networks. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, stating humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Rising Success
Those who were skeptical about Sennott previously will certainly be kicking themselves currently. In what she describes as a “incredibly circular” turn of events, she appears to manifested the perfect project. Previously she posted content called “it’s LA” online, in which she mocked film promos (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a comedy about city dwellers balancing the perks of internet fame (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your client being suspected of being a drug-addled thief, and perhaps becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). One might simple to create a series about online fame that was extremely idealized—or, worse, one that mocked at the characters. The series avoids both, creating a portrait of affluent millennial existence that’s frank about the mess and the glamour.
Balanced Perspective
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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
