The comedic talent on her side-splitting series depicting that chaotic glamour of Gen Z lifestyle
Rachel Sennott joins the digital interview and right away starts an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, sounding truly remorseful. Although she's only slightly behind, she feels compelled to clarify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Fortunately, in this context, that’s just what one hopes to experience. Moreover, it’s quite unsurprising. Viewers who know the boldly LGBTQ+ and outspoken movie Bottoms—which she penned with her creative partner and starred in together with close companion Ayo Edebiri—can understand that she has much to discuss, be it about roles, relationships, or the merits of creating a youth brawl society. Plus, after watching the recent eight-part program titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star carries even more perspectives about the darker side of young adulthood (As a millennial, Sennott is a bridge for this generation, on the cusp skilled for connecting different age groups).
Influences and Artistic Direction
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show are inevitable and the actress readily acknowledges enthusiastic, naming the show in addition to Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and the innovative program as influences for I Love LA, which details the journey of a social media star Tallulah and her friend and new representative Maia. However, the most significant spot on the moodboard was reserved for Entourage, that HBO sitcom focusing on an up-and-coming celebrity navigating in a corrupt entertainment industry (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott started watching it during COVID-19, became “captivated”, and chose to put her own twist on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she notes. The inspiration for this project originated—to some extent—from personal, initially fractious, relocation to Tinseltown and from the saturn return, a frequently discussed phenomenon for followers. This represented an era that saw her learn significant truths, in her career 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. It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Humble Origins
Growing up in New England, the star began developing and showcasing comedy while pursuing performance at a prestigious arts school. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she states. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “None of the university plays cast me either.” And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She took matters into her own hands, appearing at live shows with Ayo and uploading uproarious (and distinctly) bizarre comedy videos online. One, titled Baby Cult, followed a group of women intensely drawn to motherhood; a different one portrayed being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being caught in a thriller. In a neat twist of fate, she encountered Emma through NYU’s movie community and ended up starring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, a tense comedy set at a religious event with hints of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her career, she explains, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, rather than established gatekeepers. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, adding amusedly: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Rising Success
Those who questioned regarding Sennott then will likely be kicking themselves today. As part of she labels a “wild, full-circle” turn of events, she appears to created an ideal role. In 2019 she shared a clip titled on LA life on social media, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Six years on, she’s the co-showrunner (with the co-writer) of a show about city dwellers balancing advantages of online celebrity (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your friend being accused of being a substance-abusing criminal, and potentially becoming a unreliable outcast). One might tempting to make a show about digital influence that was extremely glamorous—or, worse, one that mocked at the characters. The series steers clear of each, creating a portrait of privileged young adult existence that’s honest about the mess and the appeal.
Nuanced Portrayal
“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
