Rachel Sennott on the uproarious series portraying the messy appeal of today's youth life
The star appears on the video call and at once starts an explanation. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, sounding truly remorseful. Although she's only a couple of minutes behind, she needs to clarify. “My phone conversations always run long.” I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Thankfully, during an interview, this is precisely what is ideal to experience. Additionally, it’s pretty expected. Viewers who know the unapologetically LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass movie titled Bottoms—that she collaborated on with Emma Seligman and featured in with her friend Ayo Edebiri—would be aware that she has much to share, whether on gender, relationships, or the merits of starting a teen fight club. Furthermore, once you finish the new eight-part HBO series titled I Love LA, viewers realize that the star carries further perspectives on the struggles of young adulthood (Now in her thirties, she serves as a relatable figure of the gang, on the cusp with a knack for straddling different age groups).
Inspirations and Storytelling Approach
Likenesses to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and the actress readily acknowledges a fan, referencing the show in addition to the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as influences for the project, which tracks the struggles of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion and aspiring representative portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the most significant spot on the moodboard belonged to Entourage, that show focusing on an up-and-coming A-list actor making his way in a gritty LA scene (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She began viewing it amid the pandemic, became “hooked”, and resolved to create a new version 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 inspiration for I Love LA originated—to some extent—from her own, initially fractious, relocation to Tinseltown and from her cosmic event, a much-talked-about event for astrology heads. This represented an era that involved her grasp major truths, professionally and in private life. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” 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…”
Early Beginnings
Growing up in the East Coast, Sennott started developing and showcasing stand-up while pursuing theatre at a prestigious arts school. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she states. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
She decided to act independently, performing at amateur nights with Ayo and uploading hysterical (and very) bizarre online content digitally. One, Baby Cult, followed characters fetishistically drawn to having babies; another imagined working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being trapped in a thriller. In a neat twist of fate, she encountered Emma through campus film circles and ultimately appearing in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a funeral gathering with shades of the Safdie brothers’ movie. A recurring idea of her journey, she explains, has been contemporaries supporting her, rather than established gatekeepers. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, stating humorously: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Manifesting Dreams
Individuals who were skeptical regarding Sennott earlier will surely be feeling foolish today. Through she labels a “astonishingly complete” development, she appears to created an ideal role. In 2019 she uploaded content titled on LA life online, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Years later, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a series about LA residents managing advantages of online celebrity (such as partying at a famous actor’s house) with drawbacks (your associate being labeled as being a intoxicated stealer, and potentially becoming a unreliable pariah). Some could simple to make a series about online fame that was extremely idealized—or, worse, one that mocked at those depicted. I Love LA avoids both, creating a depiction of advantaged twentysomething existence that’s honest about the grot and the appeal.
Balanced Perspective
“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