Rachel Sennott joins the online meeting and at once begins an excuse. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she states, seeming genuinely regretful. She is only a bit behind, she needs to clarify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Thankfully, for a writer, that’s exactly what is ideal to experience. Besides, it’s quite expected. Those who know her boldly openly gay and unapologetically crass project titled Bottoms—that Sennott penned with Emma Seligman and appeared in together with her friend the talented actress—can understand that Sennott possesses plenty to say, be it about identity, relationships, or the merits of starting a teen combat group. Furthermore, once you finish the new eight-part HBO series I Love LA, it is clear that she holds additional perspectives about the darker side of young adulthood (Now in her thirties, she is an honorary member for this generation, straddling eras adept for bridging both generations).
Inspirations and Creative Vision
Parallels to the iconic series Girls can’t be avoided and Sennott readily acknowledges enthusiastic, citing it alongside the classic series, Insecure and the innovative program as guides for I Love LA, which tracks the travails of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and ally who is also aspiring talent manager portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the biggest presence on creative vision was reserved for Entourage, that program depicting a rising A-list actor navigating in a gritty LA scene (notable statement: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She began viewing it during COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and resolved to create a new version on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she notes. The inspiration for I Love LA came—in part—from personal, originally fractious, move to Los Angeles and from her cosmic event, a popular event for enthusiasts. This represented a phase that included her learn major insights, work-wise and personally. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she admits. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Starting Out
Growing up in New England, Sennott started writing and performing humor while studying performance at NYU’s Tisch. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she states. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “None of the university plays cast me either.” And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
Sennott decided to act independently, appearing at amateur nights with her friend and posting hilarious (and decidedly) weird comedy videos online. One, Baby Cult, centered on characters obsessively fixated on pregnancy; a different one envisioned working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being trapped in a scary movie. By chance, she encountered Seligman through the university’s film scene and eventually starring in her initial project, Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a religious event with hints of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The big theme of her journey, she explains, has been peers supporting her, rather than established gatekeepers. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she repeats, stating with a laugh: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Rising Success
Anyone who questioned about Sennott previously will likely be kicking themselves now. In what she labels a “wild, full-circle” development, she has manifested an ideal role. A few years back she shared a clip called on LA life online, in which she parodied Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a show about LA residents balancing the perks of digital stardom (such as socializing at a famous actor’s house) with drawbacks (your client being accused of being a substance-abusing stealer, and perhaps becoming a risky pariah). Some could tempting to produce a show about online fame that was overly idealized—or, even less favorable, one that mocked at the characters. I Love LA steers clear of each, resulting in a portrait of advantaged millennial living that’s frank about the chaos and the shine.
Nuanced Portrayal
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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
