Rachel Sennott discussing her uproarious series depicting the grotty appeal of Gen Z existence
The performer joins the video call and at once launches into an apology. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, sounding truly apologetic. Despite being only a bit delayed, she needs to justify. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Fortunately, for a writer, that’s precisely what one hopes to hear. Additionally, it’s pretty predictable. Those who know her unapologetically openly gay and unapologetically crass project Bottoms—which she penned with Emma Seligman and starred in with close companion the talented actress—can already know that Sennott holds a lot to say, whether on gender, intimacy, or the pros of creating a youth fight club. Plus, by the end the new multi-episode program I Love LA, it is clear that she holds further perspectives on the darker side of modern youth (As a millennial, she represents an honorary member to younger audiences, a tale-end millennial skilled for connecting millennials and Gen Z).
Guiding Lights and Storytelling Approach
The comparisons to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and Sennott is enthusiastic, citing it in addition to the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as inspirations for I Love LA, which follows the journey of an influencer Tallulah and close companion and new talent manager Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the biggest spot on concept was reserved for the popular sitcom, that show depicting an emerging A-list actor navigating in a corrupt Hollywood (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott began viewing it amid lockdown, became “obsessed”, and decided to put her own twist 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 says. The idea for this project came—partly—from personal, originally rocky, move to Tinseltown and from the cosmic event, a much-talked-about event for followers. It was a time that included her grasp major truths, in her career and individually. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she says. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Starting Out
Raised in the East Coast, Sennott commenced writing and performing humor while studying acting at a prestigious arts school. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she says. “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 seized control, appearing at live shows with her friend and sharing uproarious (and distinctly) weird skits on the internet. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, centered on characters fetishistically fixated on motherhood; another envisioned being employed at the brand Hollister as akin to being caught in a scary movie. By chance, she met Seligman through the university’s film scene and eventually appearing in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a religious event with echoes of the intense thriller. The big theme of her journey, she notes, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, instead of established gatekeepers. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she repeats, adding amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Manifesting Dreams
Anyone who were skeptical about Sennott earlier will likely be feeling foolish now. As part of she describes as a “wild, full-circle” turn of events, she has achieved an ideal role. Previously she uploaded content called on LA life online, in which she lampooned movie previews (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Years later, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about city dwellers balancing the perks of internet fame (such as celebrating at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your client being accused of being a drug-addled criminal, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” pariah). It would be tempting to make a show about online fame that was horribly idealized—or, even less favorable, one that belittled at the characters. The series avoids both, making for a representation of privileged twentysomething existence that’s candid about the grot and the glamour.
Balanced Perspective
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” she comments. “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