Rachel Sennott exploring the side-splitting series portraying that chaotic allure of Gen Z life
The performer joins the digital interview and immediately starts an explanation. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she states, sounding truly remorseful. Despite being only slightly late, she needs to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, in this context, this is precisely what one hopes to experience. Moreover, it’s fairly predictable. Those who know her unapologetically openly gay and unapologetically crass film Bottoms—which she penned with the director and starred in together with close companion The Bear’s standout—will understand that Sennott has much to say, be it about roles, intimacy, or the appeal of forming a high-school brawl society. And, after watching the new multi-episode show I Love LA, viewers realize that the star has further perspectives regarding the struggles of young adulthood (Now in her thirties, she represents a relatable figure for this generation, straddling eras with a knack for bridging millennials and Gen Z).
Guiding Lights and Artistic Direction
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and the actress admits to being an admirer, citing it in addition to the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as guides for her series, which tracks the struggles of an influencer Tallulah and close companion who is also aspiring representative Maia. However, the biggest spot on creative vision went to the HBO series, the program depicting a rising celebrity making his way in an often-seedy Hollywood (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott started watching it amid the pandemic, became “captivated”, and decided to put her own twist 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 explains. The inspiration for the series came—partly—from firsthand, at first fractious, transition to LA and from the astrological phase, a frequently discussed event for enthusiasts. It was a phase that saw her grasp some big life lessons, in her career and personally. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” 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 was almost like these biblical tests …”
Humble Origins
Raised in the East Coast, the star commenced developing and showcasing comedy while pursuing acting at NYU’s Tisch. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she states. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
She decided to act independently, performing at amateur nights with Ayo and sharing uproarious (and distinctly) unconventional skits online. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, centered on characters obsessively drawn to having babies; a different one portrayed working at a trendy retail outlet as like being stuck in a thriller. Interestingly, she connected with Emma through campus film circles and ultimately appearing in her initial project, Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a funeral gathering with shades of Uncut Gems. The central motif of her path, she notes, has been people her own age giving her a shot, instead of traditional networks. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, continuing humorously: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Manifesting Dreams
Those who were skeptical about Sennott then will likely be kicking themselves now. As part of she labels a “astonishingly complete” turn of events, she seems to have manifested the perfect project. Previously she posted a clip titled about Los Angeles on the internet, in which she parodied Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with her partner) of a comedy about LA residents juggling benefits of internet fame (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with drawbacks (your associate being suspected of being a intoxicated thief, and perhaps becoming a unreliable pariah). It would be tempting to produce a series about online fame that was overly idealized—or, even less favorable, one that belittled at its subjects. I Love LA avoids both, creating a depiction of advantaged young adult living that’s candid about the chaos and the shine.
Empathetic Approach
“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