Rachel Sennott joins the online meeting and immediately launches into an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, sounding really regretful. She is only a bit behind, she wants to justify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, in this context, that’s precisely what is ideal to encounter. Moreover, it’s pretty unsurprising. Viewers who have seen the fearlessly LGBTQ+ and brash movie Bottoms—which Sennott collaborated on with Emma Seligman and starred in alongside collaborator The Bear’s standout—can understand that Sennott holds much to discuss, ranging from on gender, relationships, or the merits of starting a high-school fight club. Plus, by the end her new eight-part program I Love LA, viewers realize that the star holds further perspectives regarding the struggles of modern youth (Now in her thirties, she is an honorary member of the gang, straddling eras with a knack for connecting both generations).
Guiding Lights and Storytelling Approach
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and the actress admits to being a fan, citing it in addition to the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as influences for her series, which details the travails of online personality Tallulah and her friend and aspiring agent Maia. Notably, the biggest presence on creative vision was reserved for Entourage, that HBO sitcom focusing on a rising Hollywood star navigating in an often-seedy LA scene (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She began viewing it amid lockdown, became “obsessed”, and chose to create a new version on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she explains. The concept for the series emerged—partly—from her own, initially rocky, relocation to LA and from the astrological phase, a popular occurrence for astrology heads. It was an era that saw her understand major truths, work-wise and individually. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she says. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Early Beginnings
Brought up in New England, the star commenced creating and acting comedy while pursuing acting at a prestigious arts school. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she states. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She seized control, performing at amateur nights with Edebiri and uploading hilarious (and distinctly) bizarre online content digitally. One, titled Baby Cult, followed a group of women obsessively obsessed with motherhood; a different one envisioned working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being trapped in a thriller. By chance, she met Emma through NYU’s movie community and ultimately starring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a Jewish wake with hints of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her journey, she says, has been contemporaries supporting her, as opposed to traditional networks. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she repeats, stating amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”
Manifesting Dreams
Anyone who had doubts regarding her then will likely be regretting it today. In what she labels a “incredibly circular” development, she has achieved her dream vehicle. A few years back she shared content named about Los Angeles online, in which she mocked movie previews (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a series about Angelenos balancing the perks of digital stardom (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your associate being suspected of being a drug-addled criminal, and perhaps becoming a risky persona non grata). One might easy to create a show about digital influence that was extremely aspirational—or, worse, one that belittled at the characters. The series does neither, resulting in a portrait of privileged twentysomething living that’s frank about the grot and the shine.
Empathetic Approach
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” she observes. “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
