The actress and writer discussing the side-splitting show depicting the grotty glamour of Gen Z life
Rachel Sennott joins the digital interview and immediately begins an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, seeming truly regretful. Despite being only a couple of minutes behind, she feels compelled to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, for a writer, this is just what you want to hear. Besides, it’s quite expected. Those who know the unapologetically openly gay and unapologetically crass movie titled Bottoms—which Sennott collaborated on with Emma Seligman and featured in alongside collaborator The Bear’s standout—can be aware that Sennott holds a lot to discuss, ranging from about roles, intimacy, or the pros of creating a teen fight club. Furthermore, after watching her new seasonal HBO series titled I Love LA, viewers realize that the star has additional perspectives on the struggles of modern youth (Now in her thirties, Sennott serves as a relatable figure of the gang, on the cusp with a knack for bridging different age groups).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show are inevitable and Sennott is a fan, referencing it together with Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and Donald Glover’s series as guides for I Love LA, which tracks the struggles of online personality Tallulah and ally who is also new representative Maia. Notably, the biggest presence on creative vision belonged to Entourage, that show depicting a rising celebrity making his way in a corrupt LA scene (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She discovered it throughout lockdown, became “captivated”, and resolved to add a fresh perspective on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she says. The inspiration for I Love LA emerged—partly—from firsthand, originally difficult, transition to Tinseltown and from her astrological phase, a popular phenomenon for enthusiasts. This represented an era that saw her understand significant life lessons, work-wise and individually. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she admits. “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 …”
Early Beginnings
Brought up in the East Coast, Sennott commenced developing and showcasing humor while studying acting at a prestigious arts school. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she says. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. 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.”
She took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at amateur nights with Edebiri and sharing uproarious (and distinctly) weird online content on the internet. One, titled Baby Cult, depicted characters fetishistically fixated on having babies; a different one envisioned working at a trendy retail outlet as similar to being trapped in a thriller. In a neat twist of fate, she met Emma through campus film circles and ultimately starring in her first film, Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a religious event with shades of the intense thriller. The big theme of her career, she notes, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, as opposed to traditional networks. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Definitely not them”, she repeats, continuing humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Manifesting Dreams
Anyone who questioned regarding Sennott then will likely be feeling foolish today. In what she labels a “astonishingly complete” story, she appears to achieved her dream vehicle. Previously she shared content named “it’s LA” online, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Years later, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about LA residents juggling benefits of internet fame (such as socializing at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your friend being labeled as being a intoxicated criminal, and possibly becoming a risky outcast). It would be simple to create a series about online fame that was horribly aspirational—or, even less favorable, one that belittled at its subjects. I Love LA does neither, resulting in a portrait of advantaged millennial living that’s frank about the grot 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
