The actress and writer exploring her hilarious show portraying that chaotic appeal of Gen Z life
Rachel Sennott joins the video call and right away starts an excuse. “Apologies for the delay!” she exclaims, appearing genuinely apologetic. Although she's only a bit behind, she wants to clarify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Fortunately, during an interview, this is just what is ideal to encounter. Additionally, it’s fairly predictable. Those who know her unapologetically queer and unapologetically crass movie titled Bottoms—that she penned with the director and featured in together with close companion Ayo Edebiri—can be aware that Sennott has plenty to say, whether on identity, intimacy, or the merits of starting a teen fight club. And, once you finish her new multi-episode program I Love LA, it is clear that the star carries even more perspectives regarding the darker side of modern youth (As a millennial, Sennott serves as a relatable figure for this generation, straddling eras adept for straddling millennials and Gen Z).
Inspirations and Creative Vision
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and Sennott readily acknowledges a fan, referencing it alongside the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and Donald Glover’s series as influences for I Love LA, which tracks the journey of online personality Tallulah and close companion who is also aspiring agent Sennott’s character. However, the most significant spot on the moodboard went to the popular sitcom, that program depicting an emerging Hollywood star making his way in a corrupt Hollywood (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She began viewing it during lockdown, became “hooked”, and resolved to add a fresh perspective 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 explains. The inspiration for this project came—to some extent—from her own, originally difficult, move to LA and from her saturn return, a much-talked-about phenomenon for enthusiasts. That period marked an era that included her grasp major truths, in her career and individually. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she admits. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Humble Origins
Brought up in the East Coast, the star started creating and acting humor while studying performance at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she states. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
Sennott seized control, taking the stage at amateur nights with Edebiri and posting uproarious (and decidedly) bizarre comedy videos digitally. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, centered on a group of women fetishistically obsessed with having babies; a different one envisioned working at the brand Hollister as similar to being stuck in a thriller. Interestingly, she met Emma through NYU’s movie community and eventually starring in her first film, Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a Jewish wake with shades of Uncut Gems. The central motif of her path, she says, has been people her own age giving her a shot, instead of established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, continuing amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”
Manifesting Dreams
Anyone who had doubts about Sennott earlier will certainly be feeling foolish currently. Through she labels a “incredibly circular” story, she appears to created an ideal role. Previously she uploaded a video named “it’s LA” online, in which she parodied movie previews (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about city dwellers managing advantages of internet fame (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with drawbacks (your associate being suspected of being a intoxicated stealer, and possibly becoming a risky pariah). Some could simple to make a series about digital influence that was overly idealized—or, worse, one that mocked at those depicted. This show avoids both, creating a portrait of affluent millennial existence that’s frank 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
