Rachel Sennott exploring her uproarious comedy depicting the messy allure of Gen Z existence
The performer appears on the digital interview and right away starts an explanation. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, sounding truly regretful. She is only a bit late, she needs to clarify. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, for a writer, this is just what you want to hear. Moreover, it’s quite unsurprising. Viewers who know the boldly LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass film titled Bottoms—which Sennott collaborated on with the director and appeared in together with close companion the talented actress—will be aware that she holds much to say, whether about gender, intimacy, or the pros of forming a teen combat group. And, by the end the latest eight-part show titled I Love LA, viewers realize that the star carries further perspectives about the struggles of young adulthood (Now in her thirties, she is a bridge for this generation, a tale-end millennial skilled for straddling different age groups).
Influences and Artistic Direction
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and Sennott is a fan, naming it alongside Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as inspirations for I Love LA, which follows the struggles of an influencer Tallulah and close companion who is also aspiring representative Maia. Perhaps, the biggest spot on the moodboard belonged to the popular sitcom, that program focusing on an emerging celebrity succeeding in a gritty entertainment industry (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott began viewing it amid COVID-19, became “hooked”, and decided to add a fresh perspective on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she notes. The inspiration for the series originated—partly—from firsthand, initially difficult, move to Los Angeles and from the saturn return, a popular occurrence for enthusiasts. This represented a time that included her understand some big truths, in her career and individually. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she admits. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Early Beginnings
Growing up in New England, Sennott began writing and performing humor while enrolled in acting at NYU’s Tisch. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she says. “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. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
She seized control, appearing at open mics with Edebiri and sharing hilarious (and decidedly) weird comedy videos online. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, centered on a group of women fetishistically fixated on pregnancy; another imagined being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being caught in a horror film. Interestingly, she encountered Seligman through NYU’s movie community and eventually appearing in her initial project, Shiva Baby, a tense comedy set at a funeral gathering with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her career, she notes, has been peers offering opportunities, instead of the industry at large. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she repeats, stating amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Rising Success
Those who were skeptical regarding Sennott then will certainly be kicking themselves today. Through she labels a “wild, full-circle” development, she has achieved her dream vehicle. A few years back she uploaded a clip called about Los Angeles on social media, in which she lampooned movie previews (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about city dwellers balancing benefits of online celebrity (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with drawbacks (your friend being accused of being a substance-abusing stealer, and possibly becoming a risky persona non grata). Some could simple to produce a show about digital influence that was horribly glamorous—or, worse, one that belittled at its subjects. The series steers clear of each, creating a depiction of privileged young adult existence that’s candid about the mess and the glamour.
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 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