The actress and writer exploring her uproarious series portraying that chaotic glamour of Gen Z existence
Rachel Sennott enters the online meeting and at once launches into an apology. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, seeming really apologetic. Although she's only a bit late, she needs to explain. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Luckily, in this context, this is precisely what you want to encounter. Moreover, it’s fairly expected. Viewers who know the unapologetically queer and brash project Bottoms—that Sennott penned with the director and starred in alongside her friend the talented actress—would understand that she has a lot to say, be it on gender, intimacy, or the merits of creating a high-school combat group. Plus, once you finish her new multi-episode HBO series titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star has further thoughts about the challenges of Gen Z life (Now in her thirties, Sennott serves as an honorary member to younger audiences, on the cusp adept for connecting both generations).
Influences and Creative Vision
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and Sennott admits to being an admirer, naming the show in addition to Sex and the City, Insecure and the innovative program as inspirations for I Love LA, which details the journey of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion who is also new talent manager portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the biggest influence on concept belonged to the popular sitcom, that HBO sitcom depicting an up-and-coming A-list actor succeeding in a corrupt LA scene (memorable line: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott began viewing it during COVID-19, became “hooked”, and decided to create a new version on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she notes. The concept for the series emerged—in part—from her own, at first rocky, move to LA and from the cosmic event, a frequently discussed phenomenon for astrology heads. It was an era that involved her grasp major truths, work-wise and in private life. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she says. “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 …”
Starting Out
Brought up in New England, the star commenced developing and showcasing humor while pursuing acting at NYU’s Tisch. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” 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 Ayo and posting hysterical (and very) unconventional comedy videos digitally. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, depicted a group of women fetishistically obsessed with having babies; a different one imagined working at a trendy retail outlet as like being trapped in a thriller. By chance, she encountered Emma through the university’s film scene and ultimately appearing in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a stressful comedy set at a religious event with echoes of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her journey, she says, has been people her own age supporting her, rather than traditional networks. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “They were not involved”, she repeats, continuing humorously: “They don’t want us to win.”
Career Breakthrough
Those who had doubts about Sennott then will likely be regretting it currently. In what she labels a “wild, full-circle” development, she has achieved her dream vehicle. A few years back she shared a video titled about Los Angeles on social media, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a series about city dwellers balancing benefits of online celebrity (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your friend being suspected of being a substance-abusing stealer, and possibly becoming a unreliable pariah). One might tempting to create a series about digital influence that was horribly idealized—or, more problematic, one that punched down at the characters. I Love LA avoids both, resulting in a representation of affluent young adult living 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
