The actress and writer on the uproarious comedy depicting that chaotic glamour of Gen Z lifestyle
Rachel Sennott joins the online meeting and immediately launches into an explanation. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, seeming genuinely remorseful. Although she's only a couple of minutes behind, she feels compelled to clarify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Fortunately, for a writer, this is precisely what one hopes to encounter. Besides, it’s pretty unsurprising. Anyone who know her boldly LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass movie Bottoms—which she co-wrote with Emma Seligman and starred in with collaborator The Bear’s standout—would already know that she holds much to share, whether on roles, relationships, or the pros of forming a high-school combat group. And, once you finish the new multi-episode program titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star holds additional perspectives on the struggles of modern youth (At 30, Sennott serves as a relatable figure of the gang, straddling eras with a knack for straddling both generations).
Guiding Lights and Artistic Direction
The comparisons to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and Sennott is enthusiastic, referencing it in addition to the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as influences for I Love LA, which follows the struggles of online personality Tallulah and ally and new talent manager portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the most significant influence on the moodboard belonged to the popular sitcom, that program focusing on a rising celebrity succeeding in a gritty LA scene (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott started watching it amid COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and chose to create a new version on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she explains. The concept for the series originated—in part—from her own, initially rocky, move to Tinseltown and from the astrological phase, a frequently discussed occurrence for enthusiasts. That period marked a phase that saw her grasp major insights, professionally and in private life. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she says. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Starting Out
Growing up in Connecticut, the star began developing and showcasing comedy while studying acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she explains. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “None of the university plays cast me either.” And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She seized control, performing at open mics with her friend and uploading uproarious (and distinctly) weird comedy videos digitally. A particular video, Baby Cult, depicted a group of women fetishistically fixated on having babies; a different one imagined working at the brand Hollister as similar to being stuck in a scary movie. Interestingly, she met Seligman through campus film circles and ultimately starring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, a tense comedy set at a religious event with hints of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her career, she says, has been people her own age giving her a shot, instead of the industry at large. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, adding with a laugh: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Manifesting Dreams
Individuals who had doubts about Sennott previously will certainly be regretting it now. In what she calls a “incredibly circular” story, she seems to have manifested an ideal role. In 2019 she uploaded content titled about Los Angeles on the internet, in which she lampooned movie previews (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Years later, she’s the co-showrunner (with her partner) of a series about Angelenos balancing advantages of online celebrity (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with drawbacks (your client being suspected of being a intoxicated thief, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). It would be easy to make a show about internet celebrity that was extremely idealized—or, even less favorable, one that mocked at those depicted. This show does neither, resulting in a representation of advantaged young adult existence that’s honest about the grot and the appeal.
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