Rachel Sennott enters the video call and right away launches into an apology. “Apologies for the delay!” she says, sounding genuinely remorseful. She is only slightly behind, she wants to clarify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Fortunately, for a writer, this is precisely what one hopes to encounter. Additionally, it’s quite unsurprising. Those who know her boldly queer and outspoken project Bottoms—which she collaborated on with Emma Seligman and starred in with her friend The Bear’s standout—would be aware that Sennott holds plenty to discuss, be it about gender, sex, or the merits of creating a teen brawl society. Furthermore, once you finish the recent multi-episode HBO series I Love LA, it is clear that the star holds additional thoughts regarding the struggles of Gen Z life (At 30, Sennott represents an honorary member for this generation, a tale-end millennial with a knack for connecting both generations).
Influences and Artistic Direction
The comparisons to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and Sennott is a fan, naming it in addition to the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and the innovative program as inspirations for the project, which follows the journey of online personality Tallulah and ally and aspiring agent Maia. Notably, the largest spot on creative vision went to the popular sitcom, the show focusing on a rising A-list actor navigating in an often-seedy Hollywood (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She began viewing it throughout COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and decided to add a fresh perspective 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 notes. The concept for the series came—partly—from firsthand, initially difficult, transition to LA and from the cosmic event, a popular event for enthusiasts. It was a time that saw her grasp significant truths, professionally and personally. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” 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
Brought up in Connecticut, the star commenced developing and showcasing comedy while enrolled in theatre at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she states. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
She took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at live shows with Ayo and posting uproarious (and decidedly) weird comedy videos online. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, centered on a group of women intensely drawn to pregnancy; another envisioned being employed at the brand Hollister as similar to being caught in a horror film. By chance, she encountered Emma through NYU’s movie community and ultimately featuring in her first film, Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a funeral gathering with shades of the intense thriller. The big theme of her path, she notes, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, rather than traditional networks. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, continuing humorously: “They don’t want us to win.”
Manifesting Dreams
Those who questioned regarding Sennott then will surely be regretting it now. In what she describes as a “incredibly circular” story, she seems to have achieved the perfect project. Previously she shared a clip named “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she mocked film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with the co-writer) of a comedy about city dwellers balancing the perks of digital stardom (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your friend being accused of being a intoxicated stealer, and perhaps becoming a unreliable outcast). One might simple to create a program about online fame that was overly glamorous—or, worse, one that belittled at its subjects. I Love LA steers clear of each, creating a representation of affluent young adult life that’s frank about the chaos and the shine.
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
