Rachel Sennott discussing her uproarious show about the messy appeal of Gen Z existence
Rachel Sennott joins the digital interview and right away starts an excuse. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, seeming really apologetic. Although she's only a couple of minutes behind, she needs to clarify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, in this context, this is precisely what one hopes to encounter. Moreover, it’s quite predictable. Viewers who know her boldly queer and brash film titled Bottoms—that Sennott penned with the director and featured in together with her friend Ayo Edebiri—can already know that Sennott possesses a lot to discuss, ranging from on roles, intimacy, or the appeal of forming a high-school brawl society. And, after watching the new eight-part program I Love LA, it is clear that she carries further insights about the struggles of Gen Z life (At 30, Sennott serves as a bridge for this generation, straddling eras adept for bridging different age groups).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s Girls can’t be avoided and Sennott is a fan, referencing the show together with the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as guides for her series, which details the journey of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and ally and aspiring representative Maia. However, the most significant spot on concept was reserved for the popular sitcom, that program depicting a rising celebrity succeeding in an often-seedy LA scene (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott began viewing it amid lockdown, became “obsessed”, and chose to add a fresh perspective 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 idea for the series came—in part—from personal, originally rocky, transition to LA and from the cosmic event, a much-talked-about occurrence for enthusiasts. That period marked a phase that saw her grasp major truths, work-wise and personally. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she admits. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Humble Origins
Raised in New England, the star started developing and showcasing stand-up while pursuing performance at a prestigious arts school. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she says. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “None of the university plays cast me either.” And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She seized control, taking the stage at open mics with Edebiri and sharing hilarious (and very) bizarre comedy videos online. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, depicted a group of women fetishistically fixated on motherhood; a different one portrayed being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being trapped in a thriller. By chance, she encountered Seligman through NYU’s movie community and ultimately starring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a funeral gathering with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The big theme of her career, she says, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, as opposed to traditional networks. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, stating amusedly: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Rising Success
Anyone who were skeptical regarding Sennott then will certainly be feeling foolish today. Through she describes as a “incredibly circular” development, she has achieved her dream vehicle. A few years back she shared a video called on LA life online, in which she mocked film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Six years on, she’s a lead creator (with the co-writer) of a show about LA residents juggling benefits of digital stardom (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your associate being suspected of being a substance-abusing stealer, and perhaps becoming a unreliable persona non grata). Some could simple to create a show about online fame that was horribly idealized—or, worse, one that mocked at its subjects. I Love LA steers clear of each, making for a representation of advantaged twentysomething existence that’s frank about the grot and the appeal.
Balanced Perspective
“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
