The comedic talent discussing her uproarious comedy about that grotty allure of today's youth existence
Rachel Sennott enters the online meeting and at once begins an apology. “Apologies for the delay!” she exclaims, seeming really apologetic. She is only a bit delayed, she feels compelled 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!” Luckily, during an interview, this is precisely what you want to encounter. Besides, it’s fairly predictable. Those familiar with her unapologetically LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass movie titled Bottoms—that Sennott co-wrote with her creative partner and starred in with close companion The Bear’s standout—can be aware that Sennott holds plenty to share, ranging from on identity, sex, or the pros of starting a high-school fight club. Furthermore, once you finish the latest eight-part program I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star holds even more insights regarding the struggles of Gen Z life (At 30, she represents an honorary member to younger audiences, a tale-end millennial with a knack for straddling both generations).
Influences and Creative Vision
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s Girls are inevitable and the actress is an admirer, referencing the show together with the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and Donald Glover’s series as influences for the project, which details the journey of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and ally who is also fledgling talent manager Sennott’s character. However, the biggest influence on the moodboard was reserved for Entourage, the HBO sitcom depicting an up-and-coming Hollywood star succeeding in a gritty LA scene (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott started watching it amid COVID-19, became “captivated”, and chose to put her own twist on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she notes. The inspiration for this project originated—to some extent—from firsthand, at first rocky, relocation to LA and from the astrological phase, a much-talked-about event for enthusiasts. That period marked a phase that involved her grasp major insights, work-wise and in private life. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she says. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Early Beginnings
Growing up in New England, Sennott commenced writing and performing humor while studying theatre at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she says. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
Sennott decided to act independently, appearing at live shows with Edebiri and uploading hilarious (and distinctly) weird online content online. One, titled Baby Cult, centered on a group of women obsessively fixated on having babies; a different one portrayed being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being trapped in a thriller. By chance, she met Seligman through the university’s film scene and ended up starring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a funeral gathering with shades of Uncut Gems. The central motif of her path, she explains, has been people her own age giving her a shot, rather than the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “They were not involved”, she repeats, stating humorously: “They don’t want us to win.”
Career Breakthrough
Individuals who had doubts about Sennott then will likely be regretting it today. As part of she labels a “astonishingly complete” turn of events, she has created the perfect project. In 2019 she posted a video titled “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she lampooned film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a series about city dwellers managing the perks of digital stardom (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your associate being accused of being a intoxicated criminal, and possibly becoming a unreliable persona non grata). One might tempting to create a series about online fame that was overly aspirational—or, worse, one that punched down at its subjects. I Love LA steers clear of each, making for a depiction of advantaged young adult life that’s honest about the mess and the appeal.
Empathetic Approach
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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