The actress and writer discussing the uproarious show depicting the grotty appeal of today's youth existence
Rachel Sennott joins the online meeting and immediately starts an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she says, seeming truly remorseful. Despite being only a bit delayed, she wants to justify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Fortunately, during an interview, this is exactly what is ideal to experience. Moreover, it’s quite expected. Viewers who have seen the fearlessly queer and unapologetically crass movie Bottoms—which she collaborated on with Emma Seligman and starred in together with her friend Ayo Edebiri—can understand that she has much to say, ranging from on identity, relationships, or the pros of forming a high-school brawl society. Plus, by the end the new multi-episode program I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star holds further thoughts regarding the challenges of modern youth (Now in her thirties, Sennott serves as an honorary member of the gang, on the cusp with a knack for bridging millennials and Gen Z).
Influences and Artistic Direction
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s Girls are inevitable and the actress admits to being enthusiastic, referencing it alongside Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and Donald Glover’s series as guides for the project, which details the travails of a social media star Tallulah and close companion who is also fledgling representative Maia. Notably, the biggest presence on the moodboard belonged to Entourage, the program about an up-and-coming A-list actor succeeding in an often-seedy Hollywood (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott started watching it amid COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and decided to add a fresh perspective 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 says. The inspiration for I Love LA originated—to some extent—from her own, originally fractious, relocation to Los Angeles and from the saturn return, a frequently discussed event for enthusiasts. It was a time that included her learn significant insights, work-wise and personally. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she admits. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Early Beginnings
Brought up in Connecticut, Sennott started developing and showcasing stand-up while studying theatre at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she states. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” 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, performing at open mics with Edebiri and sharing hilarious (and decidedly) unconventional comedy videos online. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, centered on several females fetishistically drawn to pregnancy; a different one envisioned being employed at a trendy retail outlet as similar to being trapped in a scary movie. By chance, she connected with Seligman through campus film circles and eventually starring in her initial project, Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a Jewish wake with shades of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her path, she notes, has been people her own age supporting her, rather than traditional networks. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, adding with a laugh: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Rising Success
Anyone who were skeptical about Sennott previously will likely be kicking themselves today. In what she calls a “wild, full-circle” turn of events, she appears to achieved an ideal role. In 2019 she shared a video called about Los Angeles on social media, in which she parodied movie previews (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Years later, she’s the co-showrunner (with the co-writer) of a comedy about city dwellers juggling advantages of digital stardom (such as socializing at a famous actor’s house) with downsides (your friend being suspected of being a intoxicated stealer, and perhaps becoming a risky outcast). Some could tempting to produce a series about online fame that was horribly glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at its subjects. I Love LA avoids both, creating a representation of affluent young adult living that’s honest about the grot and the glamour.
Balanced Perspective
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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
