The actress and writer on her side-splitting series about the messy allure of Gen Z existence
Rachel Sennott joins the video call and at once starts an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, seeming truly apologetic. She is only slightly delayed, she feels compelled to justify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Fortunately, during an interview, that’s exactly what one hopes to encounter. Moreover, it’s fairly predictable. Those who have seen her boldly queer and unapologetically crass movie titled Bottoms—that she co-wrote with her creative partner and appeared in with collaborator the talented actress—will already know that Sennott possesses plenty to discuss, ranging from about identity, relationships, or the pros of starting a high-school brawl society. And, once you finish her recent seasonal show titled I Love LA, it is clear that the star carries additional thoughts about the challenges of Gen Z life (As a millennial, Sennott is a bridge of the gang, on the cusp with a knack for bridging different age groups).
Guiding Lights and Storytelling Approach
Parallels to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and Sennott is enthusiastic, citing it in addition to the HBO hit, Insecure and Atlanta as inspirations for the project, which follows the travails of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and ally who is also new talent manager Maia. Notably, the biggest presence on the moodboard belonged to Entourage, the HBO sitcom about an up-and-coming Hollywood star succeeding in a corrupt entertainment industry (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott began viewing it during COVID-19, became “hooked”, and chose to add a fresh perspective 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 notes. The concept for the series emerged—in part—from firsthand, at first rocky, relocation to Tinseltown and from the saturn return, a much-talked-about phenomenon for enthusiasts. That period marked a phase that saw her grasp major life lessons, professionally and individually. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she admits. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Humble Origins
Brought up in Connecticut, Sennott commenced writing and performing humor while pursuing theatre at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she states. “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. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She took matters into her own hands, appearing at amateur nights with Edebiri and uploading hilarious (and distinctly) weird skits digitally. One, Baby Cult, followed characters fetishistically fixated on pregnancy; another envisioned being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being trapped in a horror film. By chance, she met Seligman through the university’s film scene and eventually appearing in her first film, Shiva Baby, a tense comedy set at a Jewish wake with shades of the Safdie brothers’ movie. A recurring idea of her path, she says, has been people her own age offering opportunities, rather than traditional networks. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, continuing amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”
Manifesting Dreams
Those who were skeptical about her then will certainly be kicking themselves today. Through she labels a “incredibly circular” story, she appears to achieved her dream vehicle. In 2019 she shared a video called about Los Angeles online, in which she mocked movie previews (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a series about LA residents balancing benefits of digital stardom (such as socializing at a celebrity’s house) with drawbacks (your associate being accused of being a intoxicated stealer, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” pariah). It would be simple to create a series about online fame that was overly glamorous—or, worse, one that mocked at those depicted. I Love LA avoids both, creating a portrait of affluent young adult living that’s candid about the grot and the appeal.
Nuanced Portrayal
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” she says. “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
