The actress and writer exploring the side-splitting series about that grotty allure of Gen Z lifestyle
Rachel Sennott appears on the digital interview and right away launches into an excuse. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, seeming really regretful. Despite being only a couple of minutes delayed, she wants to clarify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Thankfully, during an interview, that’s exactly what is ideal to experience. Moreover, it’s quite predictable. Anyone familiar with her fearlessly openly gay and unapologetically crass movie titled Bottoms—which Sennott collaborated on with her creative partner and appeared in together with her friend the talented actress—can already know that Sennott holds plenty to share, be it on roles, sex, or the pros of starting a teen combat group. Furthermore, after watching the new eight-part HBO series I Love LA, viewers realize that the star carries even more thoughts on the challenges of Gen Z life (At 30, Sennott is a relatable figure for this generation, on the cusp with a knack for straddling millennials and Gen Z).
Guiding Lights and Storytelling Approach
Parallels to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and Sennott admits to being enthusiastic, citing the show in addition to the HBO hit, Insecure and the innovative program as influences for the project, which tracks the struggles of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and ally and new agent Sennott’s character. However, the most significant influence on concept belonged to the HBO series, the program depicting a rising celebrity making his way in a gritty LA scene (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott discovered it amid lockdown, became “obsessed”, and decided to add a fresh perspective on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she notes. The inspiration for the series came—to some extent—from firsthand, at first rocky, transition to LA and from the cosmic event, a much-talked-about occurrence for followers. This represented an era that involved her learn major truths, professionally and individually. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she recalls. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Starting Out
Brought up in New England, Sennott began creating and acting comedy while studying acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “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. “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, taking the stage at open mics with Edebiri and posting uproarious (and very) bizarre skits digitally. One, Baby Cult, followed characters obsessively obsessed with pregnancy; a different one portrayed being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being trapped in a thriller. In a neat twist of fate, she connected with Seligman through NYU’s movie community and ultimately appearing in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a funeral gathering with echoes of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her path, she explains, has been peers giving her a shot, as opposed to the industry at large. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Definitely not them”, she emphasizes, stating humorously: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Career Breakthrough
Anyone who had doubts regarding her earlier will surely be feeling foolish currently. In what she labels a “incredibly circular” story, she seems to have manifested an ideal role. In 2019 she uploaded a clip titled about Los Angeles online, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Six years on, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a series about Angelenos managing benefits of digital stardom (such as partying at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your client being suspected of being a substance-abusing thief, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” pariah). Some could tempting to make a program about online fame that was overly aspirational—or, even less favorable, one that belittled at the characters. The series avoids both, making for a representation of affluent young adult living that’s candid about the chaos and the appeal.
Balanced Perspective
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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
