The actress and writer discussing the uproarious comedy depicting that chaotic glamour of today's youth existence
Rachel Sennott joins the video call and immediately begins an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, appearing genuinely apologetic. Although she's only a bit delayed, she needs to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Fortunately, in this context, this is exactly what one hopes to hear. Besides, it’s pretty unsurprising. Anyone who have seen her boldly openly gay and unapologetically crass film Bottoms—which she co-wrote with the director and starred in alongside close companion the talented actress—will understand that she holds a lot to discuss, ranging from about roles, relationships, or the appeal of creating a teen brawl society. And, by the end her latest seasonal show I Love LA, it is clear that the star carries further insights regarding the struggles of modern youth (As a millennial, she represents an honorary member to younger audiences, on the cusp adept for bridging different age groups).
Inspirations and Storytelling Approach
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls can’t be avoided and the actress admits to being an admirer, naming the show alongside the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and Donald Glover’s series as influences for her series, which details the journey of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion and aspiring representative portrayed by Sennott. However, the most significant spot on concept went to the popular sitcom, that program about an up-and-coming Hollywood star making his way in an often-seedy LA scene (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott started watching it throughout COVID-19, became “hooked”, and decided to create a new version on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she notes. The idea for the series originated—partly—from personal, initially fractious, transition to Tinseltown and from the astrological phase, a much-talked-about phenomenon for followers. That period marked a phase that involved her understand major truths, work-wise and individually. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she admits. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Starting Out
Raised in Connecticut, the star commenced writing and performing 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. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She decided to act independently, taking the stage at amateur nights with her friend and sharing hysterical (and distinctly) unconventional online content on the internet. One, Baby Cult, depicted characters obsessively drawn to pregnancy; another imagined being employed at a trendy retail outlet as akin to being caught in a horror film. In a neat twist of fate, she encountered Emma through campus film circles and ended up starring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a funeral gathering with echoes of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her journey, she says, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, rather than traditional networks. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “They were not involved”, she repeats, stating with a laugh: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Rising Success
Anyone who had doubts about Sennott previously will surely be kicking themselves now. Through she calls a “incredibly circular” development, she has achieved an ideal role. Previously she shared a clip called on LA life on social media, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a show about LA residents juggling advantages of internet fame (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being labeled as being a intoxicated criminal, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). One might easy to make a show about online fame that was extremely glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that belittled at its subjects. I Love LA does neither, creating a depiction of affluent millennial living that’s candid about the grot and the appeal.
Nuanced Portrayal
“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” 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
