Rachel Sennott on her uproarious comedy about that grotty appeal of younger generation life
The performer appears on the online meeting and right away starts an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, seeming truly regretful. Despite being only slightly delayed, she feels compelled to explain. “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, this is exactly what you want to hear. Additionally, it’s pretty expected. Those familiar with the unapologetically LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass project titled Bottoms—that Sennott collaborated on with her creative partner and starred in alongside her friend The Bear’s standout—will be aware that Sennott has a lot to share, be it about gender, sex, or the appeal of starting a high-school combat group. Furthermore, once you finish the latest multi-episode program titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star has additional insights about the darker side of Gen Z life (Now in her thirties, Sennott is an honorary member to younger audiences, a tale-end millennial skilled for straddling different age groups).
Inspirations and Storytelling Approach
Parallels to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and Sennott is enthusiastic, referencing it in addition to Sex and the City, Insecure and Atlanta as guides for I Love LA, which details the struggles of an influencer Tallulah and her friend and new talent manager Maia. Perhaps, the largest spot on creative vision was reserved for the popular sitcom, the HBO sitcom depicting a rising A-list actor navigating in a corrupt LA scene (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott started watching it during COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and chose to put her own twist on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she says. The inspiration for the series came—partly—from firsthand, at first fractious, move to Tinseltown and from the saturn return, a frequently discussed event for enthusiasts. It was a phase that involved her learn major life lessons, in her career and in private life. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she admits. “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 …”
Early Beginnings
Growing up in Connecticut, the star began writing and performing stand-up while enrolled in performance at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she says. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “None of the university plays cast me either.” And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at live shows with her friend and uploading uproarious (and decidedly) bizarre online content on the internet. A particular video, Baby Cult, depicted several females intensely drawn to pregnancy; a different one envisioned being employed at the brand Hollister as similar to being stuck in a horror film. By chance, she encountered Emma through NYU’s movie community and ultimately starring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, a tense film set at a Jewish wake with hints of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her career, she says, has been people her own age offering opportunities, instead of traditional networks. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, continuing with a laugh: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Manifesting Dreams
Those who questioned regarding her previously will certainly be kicking themselves now. In what she calls a “incredibly circular” story, she has manifested an ideal role. Previously she posted a video named about Los Angeles online, in which she parodied Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a show about city dwellers balancing benefits of internet fame (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with drawbacks (your client being suspected of being a substance-abusing thief, and perhaps becoming a risky persona non grata). Some could tempting to create a show about online fame that was overly idealized—or, more problematic, one that punched down at the characters. This show does neither, resulting in a portrait of affluent twentysomething life that’s honest about the mess and the glamour.
Nuanced Portrayal
“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