Rachel Sennott on the uproarious comedy about that chaotic appeal of Gen Z lifestyle
The performer joins the online meeting and at once launches into an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, appearing genuinely apologetic. Despite being only a couple of minutes delayed, she needs to clarify. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, in this context, this is just what you want to hear. Moreover, it’s quite predictable. Anyone familiar with the boldly LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass project Bottoms—that Sennott collaborated on with the director and appeared in with her friend The Bear’s standout—will be aware that Sennott has a lot to discuss, be it about roles, intimacy, or the merits of forming a youth fight club. Plus, once you finish her recent seasonal HBO series I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star holds even more perspectives about the darker side of Gen Z life (Now in her thirties, Sennott represents a relatable figure to younger audiences, straddling eras with a knack for bridging millennials and Gen Z).
Influences and Creative Vision
Parallels to the iconic series Girls can’t be avoided and the actress is an admirer, citing the show in addition to the classic series, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as influences for I Love LA, which details the journey of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend and new talent manager portrayed by Sennott. However, the biggest influence on concept was reserved for the HBO series, that HBO sitcom focusing on a rising Hollywood star making his way in an often-seedy entertainment industry (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott started watching it throughout the pandemic, became “hooked”, and resolved to add a fresh perspective on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she notes. The idea for this project emerged—in part—from personal, originally rocky, relocation to LA and from the saturn return, a popular event for followers. That period marked an era that involved her grasp some big life lessons, in her career and personally. “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. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Starting Out
Raised in Connecticut, the star began creating and acting comedy while pursuing performance at a prestigious arts school. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she explains. “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 took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at live shows with Edebiri and uploading hilarious (and very) unconventional online content digitally. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, depicted characters intensely drawn to motherhood; another portrayed being employed at a trendy retail outlet as like being trapped in a thriller. In a neat twist of fate, she connected with Seligman through the university’s film scene and eventually appearing in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a Jewish wake with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her path, she says, has been people her own age supporting her, rather than the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, stating humorously: “They don’t want us to win.”
Career Breakthrough
Those who questioned about her then will surely be feeling foolish today. As part of she describes as a “wild, full-circle” story, she has manifested her dream vehicle. A few years back she shared a clip called “it’s LA” online, in which she parodied movie previews (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Years later, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a show about Angelenos balancing benefits of digital stardom (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being accused of being a intoxicated criminal, and perhaps becoming a risky pariah). Some could tempting to make a program about internet celebrity that was extremely glamorous—or, more problematic, one that punched down at its subjects. This show does neither, creating a representation of affluent young adult existence that’s candid about the chaos and the glamour.
Empathetic Approach
“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
