The actress and writer on the uproarious series about the chaotic glamour of Gen Z lifestyle
Rachel Sennott appears on the video call and immediately begins an apology. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she states, seeming genuinely remorseful. Although she's only a couple of minutes delayed, she wants to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, during an interview, this is exactly what is ideal to encounter. Besides, it’s pretty predictable. Viewers who know the boldly openly gay and unapologetically crass film Bottoms—which she collaborated on with her creative partner and featured in with close companion the talented actress—will be aware that she possesses much to discuss, whether about roles, relationships, or the pros of creating a teen brawl society. Plus, once you finish her new multi-episode HBO series I Love LA, it is clear that she holds additional thoughts on the darker side of young adulthood (As a millennial, she represents an honorary member to younger audiences, a tale-end millennial with a knack for straddling both generations).
Guiding Lights and Storytelling Approach
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s Girls are inevitable and the actress admits to being an admirer, naming the show together with the classic series, Insecure and the innovative program as inspirations for I Love LA, which follows the struggles of online personality Tallulah and her friend who is also aspiring talent manager portrayed by Sennott. However, the biggest influence on the moodboard went to the HBO series, the HBO sitcom focusing on an up-and-coming celebrity making his way in an often-seedy Hollywood (memorable line: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She discovered it amid the pandemic, became “captivated”, and decided to add a fresh perspective on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she explains. The inspiration for this project came—to some extent—from her own, at first fractious, move to Tinseltown and from her astrological phase, a frequently discussed event for astrology heads. This represented an era that saw her understand some big life lessons, professionally and in private life. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she recalls. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Early Beginnings
Growing up in Connecticut, the star started creating and acting comedy while pursuing theatre at NYU’s Tisch. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she explains. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
She took matters into her own hands, appearing at open mics with her friend and sharing hilarious (and distinctly) weird skits on the internet. One, titled Baby Cult, followed characters intensely obsessed with motherhood; a different one imagined being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being caught in a thriller. By chance, she met Seligman through campus film circles and ended up starring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a stressful comedy set at a Jewish wake with hints of the intense thriller. The big theme of her path, she notes, has been people her own age offering opportunities, as opposed to established gatekeepers. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “They were not involved”, she repeats, adding amusedly: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Manifesting Dreams
Individuals who had doubts regarding her previously will certainly be kicking themselves currently. As part of she calls a “astonishingly complete” development, she seems to have manifested an ideal role. In 2019 she shared content named “it’s LA” online, in which she mocked film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a show about Angelenos juggling benefits of digital stardom (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your associate being accused of being a intoxicated thief, and perhaps becoming a risky outcast). It would be tempting to produce a series about digital influence that was overly glamorous—or, more problematic, one that mocked at the characters. I Love LA does neither, making for a representation of affluent millennial living that’s frank about the mess and the shine.
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
