Rachel Sennott appears on the video call and right away begins an excuse. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, seeming genuinely regretful. Although she's only a bit late, she needs to clarify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Fortunately, during an interview, this is just what you want to experience. Moreover, it’s fairly predictable. Those familiar with the boldly openly gay and unapologetically crass project Bottoms—which she penned with her creative partner and starred in with collaborator The Bear’s standout—can already know that Sennott holds plenty to say, whether about identity, relationships, or the merits of creating a high-school brawl society. Plus, by the end her new multi-episode HBO series I Love LA, it is clear that she carries additional perspectives about the struggles of young adulthood (As a millennial, she is an honorary member for this generation, straddling eras with a knack for bridging millennials and Gen Z).
Influences and Artistic Direction
Parallels to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and Sennott admits to being a fan, citing the show in addition to Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as influences for her series, which tracks the struggles of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend who is also fledgling agent Sennott’s character. However, the most significant presence on the moodboard belonged to the HBO series, that program depicting a rising celebrity making his way in a gritty LA scene (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott discovered it amid COVID-19, became “hooked”, and decided to add a fresh perspective on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she says. The concept for I Love LA emerged—in part—from her own, at first rocky, relocation to Los Angeles and from her astrological phase, a much-talked-about occurrence for followers. This represented an era that saw her learn major truths, in her career and personally. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she recalls. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Starting Out
Raised in New England, Sennott started developing and showcasing stand-up while enrolled in acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she says. “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. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at open mics with her friend and posting uproarious (and distinctly) bizarre skits online. One, titled Baby Cult, centered on a group of women intensely drawn to having babies; a different one envisioned working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being caught in a horror film. By chance, she met Seligman through NYU’s movie community and eventually featuring in her initial project, Shiva Baby, a tense film set at a religious event with shades of Uncut Gems. A recurring idea of her journey, she notes, has been contemporaries offering opportunities, as opposed to traditional networks. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, continuing with a laugh: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Individuals who had doubts regarding Sennott previously will surely be feeling foolish now. Through she calls a “incredibly circular” development, she has created her dream vehicle. In 2019 she uploaded a clip named about Los Angeles on social media, in which she mocked film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Years later, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a series about Angelenos juggling advantages of digital stardom (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with drawbacks (your client being suspected of being a substance-abusing stealer, and perhaps becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). Some could easy to make a series about online fame that was overly aspirational—or, worse, one that punched down at those depicted. The series does neither, making for a depiction of affluent millennial existence that’s frank about the mess and the glamour.
Nuanced Portrayal
“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
