Rachel Sennott enters the digital interview and immediately begins an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she states, appearing truly remorseful. Despite being only a couple of minutes delayed, she feels compelled to justify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Fortunately, in this context, that’s exactly what is ideal to encounter. Besides, it’s fairly unsurprising. Anyone who know the unapologetically openly gay and unapologetically crass movie titled Bottoms—which she co-wrote with the director and featured in alongside collaborator The Bear’s standout—will understand that Sennott has a lot to share, be it about roles, sex, or the merits of starting a high-school combat group. And, once you finish her latest eight-part HBO series I Love LA, viewers realize that the star carries further perspectives about the darker side of modern youth (At 30, she represents an honorary member for this generation, straddling eras skilled for bridging millennials and Gen Z).
Influences and Creative Vision
Likenesses to the iconic series Girls can’t be avoided and the actress admits to being enthusiastic, naming it in addition to the classic series, Insecure and Donald Glover’s series as inspirations for I Love LA, which follows the journey of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion and aspiring representative Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the biggest spot on the moodboard went to the popular sitcom, the show about an emerging A-list actor succeeding in an often-seedy Hollywood (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott discovered it throughout COVID-19, became “hooked”, 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 idea for the series emerged—to some extent—from her own, initially difficult, move to LA and from the cosmic event, a frequently discussed occurrence for enthusiasts. It was an era that included her learn major truths, work-wise 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
Growing up in Connecticut, Sennott began creating and acting stand-up while enrolled in 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. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
She seized control, taking the stage at open mics with her friend and sharing hysterical (and decidedly) weird comedy videos on the internet. A particular video, Baby Cult, centered on a group of women intensely fixated on having babies; another envisioned being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being caught in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she met Emma through NYU’s movie community and eventually appearing in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a religious event with hints of the intense thriller. The central motif of her career, she notes, has been contemporaries offering opportunities, as opposed to established gatekeepers. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, adding amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Those who were skeptical regarding Sennott then will likely be regretting it now. Through she labels a “incredibly circular” development, she has manifested an ideal role. Previously she posted content titled about Los Angeles on the internet, in which she mocked film promos (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Years later, she’s a lead creator (with her partner) of a show about city dwellers balancing benefits of internet fame (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your associate being accused of being a intoxicated thief, and possibly becoming a risky persona non grata). Some could simple to make a program about online fame that was overly glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that mocked at those depicted. I Love LA does neither, making for a depiction of privileged young adult existence that’s candid about the grot and the appeal.
Empathetic Approach
“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
