Rachel Sennott appears on the video call and right away starts an apology. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, appearing really apologetic. Despite being only slightly behind, she feels compelled to justify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Fortunately, during an interview, that’s just what one hopes to experience. Moreover, it’s pretty predictable. Viewers familiar with the fearlessly LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass project titled Bottoms—which she collaborated on with Emma Seligman and starred in together with her friend The Bear’s standout—will be aware that she holds a lot to discuss, whether on gender, relationships, or the pros of forming a youth fight club. Furthermore, after watching her latest eight-part program titled I Love LA, viewers realize that the star has additional insights regarding the challenges of modern youth (Now in her thirties, Sennott is an honorary member for this generation, straddling eras adept for bridging different age groups).
Influences and Storytelling Approach
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls are inevitable and the actress is an admirer, naming it alongside the HBO hit, Insecure and the innovative program as influences for the project, which follows the struggles of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend who is also fledgling talent manager portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the largest presence on creative vision was reserved for the popular sitcom, that show depicting an up-and-coming Hollywood star succeeding in a gritty entertainment industry (memorable line: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott began viewing it amid COVID-19, became “hooked”, and resolved to create a new version 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 says. The concept for this project originated—partly—from personal, initially rocky, move to Los Angeles and from her cosmic event, a frequently discussed phenomenon for followers. It was a time that included her learn some big life lessons, professionally 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 …”
Starting Out
Brought up in New England, Sennott started writing and performing stand-up while enrolled in acting at a prestigious arts school. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she explains. “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.”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at amateur nights with Edebiri and sharing uproarious (and very) weird comedy videos on the internet. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, depicted several females fetishistically fixated on motherhood; a different one imagined working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being caught in a scary movie. By chance, she connected with Emma through the university’s film scene and ended up starring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful film set at a funeral gathering with hints of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her journey, she explains, has been people her own age offering opportunities, instead of the industry at large. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, adding humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Rising Success
Those who were skeptical about Sennott then will likely be kicking themselves now. Through she describes as a “astonishingly complete” story, she seems to have created her dream vehicle. Previously she shared content named “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she mocked movie previews (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a series about LA residents juggling advantages of digital stardom (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with its pitfalls (your client being accused of being a drug-addled criminal, and perhaps becoming a risky pariah). It would be tempting to create a program about online fame that was overly aspirational—or, even less favorable, one that mocked at the characters. The series does neither, creating a portrait of privileged young adult life that’s frank about the mess and the appeal.
Nuanced Portrayal
“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
