Rachel Sennott joins the video call and immediately begins an excuse. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, appearing really apologetic. Despite being only a couple of minutes behind, she feels compelled to explain. “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!” Thankfully, for a writer, that’s precisely what is ideal to experience. Additionally, it’s fairly unsurprising. Those who have seen the unapologetically openly gay and unapologetically crass movie titled Bottoms—which Sennott penned with Emma Seligman and starred in together with collaborator Ayo Edebiri—can understand that Sennott possesses much to share, whether on gender, sex, or the merits of forming a high-school combat group. And, after watching the recent eight-part show I Love LA, viewers realize that she holds additional thoughts regarding the challenges of Gen Z life (Now in her thirties, she represents a bridge for this generation, a tale-end millennial adept for connecting different age groups).
Influences and Storytelling Approach
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show are inevitable and Sennott is enthusiastic, citing the show in addition to Sex and the City, Insecure and the innovative program as inspirations for I Love LA, which details the journey of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and ally who is also aspiring talent manager Maia. Perhaps, the largest presence on concept belonged to the HBO series, that HBO sitcom focusing on an emerging celebrity navigating in a gritty Hollywood (memorable line: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She began viewing it during lockdown, became “hooked”, and chose to add a fresh perspective on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she notes. The concept for I Love LA originated—in part—from personal, originally difficult, transition to LA and from her saturn return, a popular event for followers. It was a phase that saw her understand significant truths, 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. It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Humble Origins
Raised in the East Coast, the star started developing and showcasing stand-up while studying performance at a prestigious arts school. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she states. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at open mics with Ayo and sharing hilarious (and distinctly) bizarre skits online. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, depicted several females intensely drawn to having babies; a different one portrayed working at a trendy retail outlet as akin to being caught in a horror film. By chance, she encountered Seligman through NYU’s movie community and ultimately featuring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a Jewish wake with hints of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her career, she notes, has been peers offering opportunities, rather than established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she repeats, stating with a laugh: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Rising Success
Anyone who questioned regarding Sennott previously will certainly be regretting it currently. In what she labels a “astonishingly complete” turn of events, she seems to have created an ideal role. Previously she uploaded content called about Los Angeles on the internet, in which she lampooned film promos (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a series about Angelenos balancing advantages of digital stardom (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your client being labeled as being a drug-addled criminal, and potentially becoming a unreliable outcast). Some could tempting to make a show about digital influence that was horribly idealized—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at those depicted. This show steers clear of each, resulting in a representation of privileged millennial living that’s honest about the mess and the appeal.
Balanced Perspective
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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
