The actress and writer exploring the uproarious show about that chaotic allure of younger generation life
Rachel Sennott appears on the video call and immediately launches into an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she exclaims, appearing genuinely regretful. She is only slightly behind, she wants to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Fortunately, in this context, that’s just what is ideal to experience. Additionally, it’s pretty predictable. Anyone who have seen her unapologetically queer and unapologetically crass movie Bottoms—that Sennott collaborated on with the director and starred in alongside close companion the talented actress—will understand that Sennott possesses a lot to say, whether about roles, intimacy, or the pros of starting a youth fight club. Plus, by the end the latest eight-part HBO series I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she holds even more perspectives on the struggles of young adulthood (At 30, she represents a bridge for this generation, straddling eras adept for connecting different age groups).
Guiding Lights and Creative Vision
The comparisons to the iconic series Girls can’t be avoided and Sennott admits to being enthusiastic, referencing it together with the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as influences for her series, which tracks the travails of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and ally who is also aspiring representative Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the largest influence on concept was reserved for Entourage, the HBO sitcom depicting a rising celebrity making his way in a gritty entertainment industry (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She discovered it amid lockdown, became “captivated”, and resolved to put her own twist on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she notes. The concept for this project originated—to some extent—from her own, at first rocky, relocation to LA and from the saturn return, a much-talked-about event for astrology heads. It was a time that saw her understand significant insights, professionally and in private life. “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. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Early Beginnings
Brought up in the East Coast, the star began developing and showcasing humor while studying acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she explains. “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. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
She took matters into her own hands, performing at live shows with her friend and sharing uproarious (and decidedly) weird skits on the internet. One, Baby Cult, depicted several females intensely obsessed with having babies; a different one envisioned working at a trendy retail outlet as like being trapped in a thriller. In a neat twist of fate, she met Emma through campus film circles and eventually appearing in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, a tense film set at a religious event with hints of the intense thriller. The big theme of her path, she says, has been peers supporting her, instead of established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, adding with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”
Career Breakthrough
Those who were skeptical about her previously will certainly be regretting it currently. As part of she labels a “astonishingly complete” turn of events, she appears to manifested an ideal role. In 2019 she uploaded a video called “it’s LA” on social media, in which she lampooned movie previews (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a show about Angelenos balancing advantages of internet fame (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your client being labeled as being a substance-abusing stealer, and perhaps becoming a “brand unsafe” pariah). It would be easy to create a show about digital influence that was extremely idealized—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at its subjects. This show steers clear of each, resulting in a depiction of privileged young adult existence that’s honest about the mess and the shine.
Empathetic Approach
“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