Rachel Sennott on her side-splitting comedy portraying that messy allure of Gen Z lifestyle

The star appears on the online meeting and at once starts an explanation. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she states, sounding genuinely apologetic. She is only a bit behind, she needs to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Fortunately, during an interview, that’s exactly what is ideal to experience. Besides, it’s pretty unsurprising. Anyone who have seen the fearlessly LGBTQ+ and outspoken film Bottoms—which Sennott co-wrote with the director and appeared in together with her friend the talented actress—would already know that Sennott holds plenty to discuss, whether about gender, sex, or the appeal of creating a youth fight club. Plus, after watching her new seasonal program titled I Love LA, it is clear that she carries even more thoughts about the struggles of modern youth (As a millennial, she is an honorary member of the gang, on the cusp with a knack for connecting both generations).

Inspirations and Artistic Direction

The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show can’t be avoided and the actress admits to being enthusiastic, citing it together with the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and Donald Glover’s series as influences for the project, which tracks the journey of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion who is also new representative portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the largest spot on creative vision belonged to the HBO series, the HBO sitcom depicting an emerging celebrity navigating in a gritty entertainment industry (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott started watching it during COVID-19, became “hooked”, and resolved to put her own twist on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.

“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she notes. The concept for this project came—partly—from her own, at first rocky, relocation to LA and from the cosmic event, a frequently discussed occurrence for astrology heads. This represented an era that included her grasp major life lessons, professionally and personally. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she says. “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

Brought up in New England, Sennott commenced creating and acting comedy while enrolled in theatre at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she says. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. 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.”

Sennott decided to act independently, performing at open mics with Edebiri and posting uproarious (and distinctly) unconventional skits on the internet. One, titled Baby Cult, depicted characters fetishistically fixated on having babies; a different one portrayed being employed at a trendy retail outlet as akin to being trapped in a thriller. By chance, she connected with Seligman through campus film circles and ended up featuring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a Jewish wake with shades of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her career, she explains, has been peers giving her a shot, instead of traditional networks. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, adding humorously: “They don’t want us to win.”

Manifesting Dreams

Those who questioned regarding her previously will surely be feeling foolish today. In what she calls a “incredibly circular” story, she seems to have manifested her dream vehicle. In 2019 she posted a video called about Los Angeles online, in which she parodied film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Years later, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a show about city dwellers managing benefits of internet fame (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your friend being accused of being a drug-addled thief, and potentially becoming a risky outcast). Some could simple to create a series about digital influence that was extremely glamorous—or, more problematic, one that punched down at the characters. I Love LA does neither, creating a portrait of privileged young adult existence that’s honest 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

Karen Travis
Karen Travis

A certified nutritionist and wellness coach based in London, passionate about helping others achieve holistic health through simple, sustainable habits.

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