Rachel Sennott discussing the uproarious series about that messy glamour of today's youth existence
The performer appears on the video call and at once launches into an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she states, appearing genuinely regretful. She is only a bit delayed, she wants to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Thankfully, during an interview, that’s exactly what is ideal to hear. Additionally, it’s fairly expected. Viewers who know the fearlessly queer and unapologetically crass film titled Bottoms—that she penned with her creative partner and appeared in with her friend the talented actress—will understand that she possesses plenty to say, whether on identity, sex, or the merits of forming a high-school fight club. Furthermore, by the end the latest seasonal program titled I Love LA, it is clear that the star carries further insights regarding the darker side of Gen Z life (Now in her thirties, she represents a bridge for this generation, straddling eras adept for connecting millennials and Gen Z).
Influences and Artistic Direction
Parallels to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and Sennott readily acknowledges an admirer, citing it in addition to the classic series, Insecure and the innovative program as guides for I Love LA, which details the journey of an influencer Tallulah and her friend and fledgling agent portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the biggest presence on concept went to the HBO series, the HBO sitcom depicting an up-and-coming celebrity navigating in a corrupt Hollywood (notable statement: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott discovered it during COVID-19, became “hooked”, and resolved to create a new version 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 explains. The idea for this project emerged—in part—from her own, at first difficult, transition to Tinseltown and from her saturn return, a popular occurrence for followers. That period marked a phase that included her learn significant life lessons, professionally and in private life. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she admits. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Early Beginnings
Raised in the East Coast, the star started writing and performing comedy while studying performance at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she states. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “None of the university plays cast me either.” “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
She decided to act independently, appearing at open mics with her friend and uploading hysterical (and distinctly) unconventional online content online. A particular video, Baby Cult, depicted a group of women fetishistically drawn to having babies; a different one envisioned working at the brand Hollister as similar to being trapped in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she encountered Emma through the university’s film scene and ultimately featuring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a funeral gathering with shades of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her journey, she explains, has been peers supporting her, instead of established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she repeats, continuing with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”
Career Breakthrough
Those who questioned about Sennott then will surely be regretting it today. As part of she labels a “wild, full-circle” story, she seems to have manifested an ideal role. In 2019 she posted content titled “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she parodied film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with the co-writer) of a series about Angelenos managing the perks of internet fame (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your friend being suspected of being a substance-abusing stealer, and potentially becoming a unreliable outcast). It would be easy to make a show about online fame that was horribly aspirational—or, worse, one that belittled at those depicted. The series avoids both, making for a portrait of affluent twentysomething existence that’s honest about the chaos and the shine.
Empathetic Approach
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” she comments. “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