The actress and writer discussing the uproarious comedy depicting the grotty appeal of younger generation lifestyle
Rachel Sennott joins the online meeting and right away begins an excuse. “Apologies for the delay!” she exclaims, sounding truly remorseful. Despite being only a couple of minutes late, she needs to explain. “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 one hopes to experience. Moreover, it’s pretty predictable. Viewers who have seen the unapologetically queer and outspoken movie Bottoms—which Sennott collaborated on with the director and starred in together with close companion Ayo Edebiri—can be aware that Sennott possesses much to discuss, ranging from about gender, sex, or the pros of creating a youth combat group. Furthermore, after watching the new eight-part show I Love LA, viewers realize that she carries even more perspectives about the challenges of young adulthood (Now in her thirties, she serves as a bridge of the gang, on the cusp with a knack for connecting both generations).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show can’t be avoided and the actress admits to being a fan, referencing the show alongside the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as influences for her series, which details the travails of an influencer Tallulah and her friend who is also new talent manager Maia. Perhaps, the biggest presence on creative vision belonged to the HBO series, that program focusing on an up-and-coming A-list actor succeeding in a corrupt entertainment industry (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She began viewing it during lockdown, became “obsessed”, and resolved to put her own twist 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 says. The inspiration for I Love LA came—in part—from personal, initially rocky, relocation to Tinseltown and from her cosmic event, a much-talked-about occurrence for enthusiasts. That period marked a time that included her learn major truths, work-wise and individually. “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 resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Humble Origins
Raised in Connecticut, the star started developing and showcasing stand-up while enrolled in theatre at a prestigious arts school. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she says. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “None of the university plays cast me either.” And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at live shows with Edebiri and uploading hysterical (and distinctly) bizarre comedy videos online. A particular video, Baby Cult, centered on several females obsessively drawn to having babies; a different one envisioned being employed at a trendy retail outlet as similar to being stuck in a horror film. By chance, she met Seligman through NYU’s movie community and eventually starring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a stressful film set at a funeral gathering with echoes of the intense thriller. The central motif of her journey, she explains, has been people her own age supporting her, rather than established gatekeepers. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “They were not involved”, she confirms, stating amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Rising Success
Those who questioned about her then will likely be kicking themselves currently. As part of she labels a “wild, full-circle” turn of events, she seems to have manifested an ideal role. A few years back she uploaded a video titled on LA life on the internet, in which she lampooned film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Years later, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a show about city dwellers juggling benefits of internet fame (such as socializing at a famous actor’s house) with drawbacks (your friend being suspected of being a drug-addled stealer, and perhaps becoming a unreliable pariah). It would be tempting to produce a program about online fame that was extremely glamorous—or, more problematic, one that punched down at its subjects. The series does neither, creating a portrait of affluent twentysomething living that’s candid about the chaos and the glamour.
Empathetic Approach
“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
