Rachel Sennott discussing her uproarious show depicting the grotty allure of Gen Z life
The star enters the online meeting and immediately begins an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she states, appearing really apologetic. Despite being only slightly behind, she needs to clarify. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Fortunately, for a writer, this is just what you want to encounter. Additionally, it’s fairly expected. Those who know the fearlessly queer and outspoken film titled Bottoms—which Sennott collaborated on with her creative partner and featured in together with her friend the talented actress—will already know that she holds much to discuss, whether on roles, relationships, or the pros of starting a high-school brawl society. Plus, once you finish her new seasonal HBO series I Love LA, it is clear that the star has even more thoughts about the struggles of young adulthood (Now in her thirties, Sennott represents an honorary member for this generation, a tale-end millennial adept for bridging both generations).
Influences and Creative Vision
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and Sennott admits to being a fan, citing it alongside the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as guides for I Love LA, which follows the travails of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend and aspiring representative Sennott’s character. Notably, the most significant spot on creative vision went to the popular sitcom, the program depicting an emerging A-list actor making his way in a gritty LA scene (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott began viewing it during the pandemic, became “obsessed”, and decided to add a fresh perspective on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she explains. The idea for I Love LA originated—to some extent—from firsthand, at first rocky, move to Tinseltown and from the cosmic event, a frequently discussed event for followers. This represented a time that saw her learn significant truths, in her career and in private life. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she recalls. “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…”
Humble Origins
Brought up in the East Coast, Sennott commenced writing and performing humor while studying 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. 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 open mics with Ayo and sharing hysterical (and decidedly) bizarre online content on the internet. One, titled Baby Cult, depicted several females intensely obsessed with motherhood; another envisioned being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being caught in a horror film. By chance, she encountered Emma through campus film circles and eventually featuring in her initial project, Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a Jewish wake with hints of the intense thriller. The big theme of her journey, she says, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, instead of the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she emphasizes, continuing humorously: “They don’t want us to win.”
Rising Success
Those who were skeptical about Sennott then will surely be regretting it now. In what she calls a “wild, full-circle” turn of events, she appears to created the perfect project. In 2019 she uploaded content called “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she parodied Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Years later, she’s the co-showrunner (with her partner) of a series about LA residents balancing the perks of digital stardom (such as socializing at a celebrity’s house) with drawbacks (your friend being accused of being a intoxicated criminal, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). One might easy to create a show about internet celebrity that was extremely aspirational—or, more problematic, one that belittled at the characters. The series steers clear of each, resulting in a depiction of advantaged millennial life that’s candid about the chaos and the glamour.
Balanced Perspective
“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” 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