Rachel Sennott enters the digital interview and immediately starts an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, sounding truly remorseful. She is only a bit behind, she needs to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Luckily, during an interview, this is just what is ideal to encounter. Additionally, it’s pretty predictable. Those who know the fearlessly queer and brash movie Bottoms—that Sennott co-wrote with the director and starred in with collaborator The Bear’s standout—will understand that she has much to share, whether on gender, relationships, or the merits of forming a high-school brawl society. And, once you finish the latest eight-part HBO series I Love LA, viewers realize that she holds additional perspectives regarding the challenges of young adulthood (As a millennial, Sennott serves as a relatable figure to younger audiences, a tale-end millennial skilled for straddling both generations).
Guiding Lights and Artistic Direction
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and Sennott admits to being a fan, referencing the show alongside Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and Donald Glover’s series as influences for the project, which tracks the journey of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and ally and aspiring talent manager Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the largest influence on creative vision went to Entourage, that HBO sitcom depicting a rising Hollywood star succeeding in an often-seedy Hollywood (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She started watching it during COVID-19, became “hooked”, and resolved to add a fresh perspective 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 says. The concept for I Love LA originated—in part—from firsthand, initially difficult, relocation to Tinseltown and from the cosmic event, a frequently discussed event for followers. It was a phase that included her learn significant life lessons, in her career and personally. “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 …”
Starting Out
Raised in New England, Sennott began creating and acting humor while studying theatre at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she states. “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.”
She decided to act independently, appearing at open mics with Ayo and uploading hysterical (and very) bizarre skits digitally. A particular video, Baby Cult, centered on a group of women intensely obsessed with motherhood; a different one portrayed being employed at a trendy retail outlet as similar to being trapped in a thriller. By chance, she connected with Emma through campus film circles and ultimately featuring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a stressful comedy set at a funeral gathering with hints of Uncut Gems. A recurring idea of her path, she explains, has been people her own age giving her a shot, rather than the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, continuing with a laugh: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Career Breakthrough
Individuals who had doubts about Sennott earlier will surely be regretting it today. Through she describes as a “wild, full-circle” development, she seems to have manifested an ideal role. A few years back she shared content named about Los Angeles on the internet, in which she mocked movie previews (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a show about Angelenos juggling advantages of internet fame (such as partying at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your client being accused of being a substance-abusing stealer, and possibly becoming a unreliable persona non grata). Some could tempting to make a show about digital influence that was overly aspirational—or, worse, one that belittled at the characters. This show avoids both, resulting in a representation of affluent millennial life that’s honest about the grot and the shine.
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
