Rachel Sennott enters the video call and immediately begins an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, seeming genuinely remorseful. Although she's only a couple of minutes delayed, she feels compelled to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Luckily, during an interview, this is just what one hopes to experience. Moreover, it’s pretty expected. Viewers familiar with her boldly queer and brash movie titled Bottoms—that she penned with the director and featured in with collaborator The Bear’s standout—will understand that Sennott holds plenty to discuss, be it on roles, sex, or the appeal of creating a teen brawl society. Plus, by the end the recent multi-episode show titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star carries further thoughts on the darker side of Gen Z life (As a millennial, Sennott is a bridge to younger audiences, straddling eras with a knack for connecting millennials and Gen Z).
Influences and Creative Vision
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show can’t be avoided and the actress readily acknowledges a fan, naming the show in addition to Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and Donald Glover’s series as guides for the project, which tracks the struggles of online personality Tallulah and close companion who is also aspiring agent Maia. Notably, the biggest influence on creative vision belonged to the HBO series, the HBO sitcom focusing on an emerging celebrity succeeding in an often-seedy entertainment industry (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott discovered it during lockdown, became “captivated”, and decided 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 explains. The inspiration for this project originated—to some extent—from firsthand, initially difficult, move to LA and from the cosmic event, a frequently discussed occurrence for enthusiasts. This represented a phase that included her understand significant life lessons, in her career and individually. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she recalls. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Humble Origins
Raised in New England, Sennott began creating and acting stand-up while studying performance 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 states. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She seized control, appearing at open mics with Ayo and uploading hilarious (and very) unconventional online content online. A particular video, Baby Cult, followed several females obsessively fixated on motherhood; a different one imagined working at a trendy retail outlet as similar to being caught in a scary movie. Interestingly, she encountered Seligman through NYU’s movie community and ended up starring in her first film, Shiva Baby, a stressful film set at a Jewish wake with shades of Uncut Gems. The central motif of her journey, she explains, has been people her own age giving her a shot, rather than established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she repeats, stating humorously: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Manifesting Dreams
Individuals who questioned about her earlier will surely be regretting it today. In what she describes as a “wild, full-circle” turn of events, she has manifested her dream vehicle. In 2019 she posted content called “it’s LA” online, in which she lampooned film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about LA residents managing the perks of digital stardom (such as partying at a famous actor’s house) with drawbacks (your client being suspected of being a drug-addled thief, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” pariah). It would be simple to create a show about online fame that was horribly glamorous—or, worse, one that belittled at its subjects. The series avoids both, making for a representation of advantaged young adult life that’s frank about the grot and the glamour.
Empathetic Approach
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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
