Rachel Sennott appears on the online meeting and right away launches into an apology. “Apologies for the delay!” she exclaims, seeming genuinely remorseful. Although she's only a bit delayed, she needs to clarify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, during an interview, this is exactly what is ideal to experience. Moreover, it’s pretty predictable. Anyone who have seen her unapologetically LGBTQ+ and outspoken movie titled Bottoms—which Sennott collaborated on with Emma Seligman and appeared in with collaborator Ayo Edebiri—would be aware that she possesses much to say, be it about roles, relationships, or the pros of creating a youth fight club. Plus, after watching her recent seasonal show titled I Love LA, viewers realize that the star has further thoughts on the darker side of modern youth (Now in her thirties, Sennott represents a bridge for this generation, on the cusp skilled for connecting different age groups).
Guiding Lights and Creative Vision
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show can’t be avoided and Sennott is enthusiastic, naming the show together with Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as influences for her series, which tracks the journey of an influencer Tallulah and ally who is also aspiring agent portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the largest spot on concept belonged to Entourage, the show depicting a rising A-list actor making his way in an often-seedy entertainment industry (notable statement: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott discovered it during the pandemic, became “hooked”, and chose to add a fresh perspective 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 notes. The idea for this project originated—to some extent—from her own, initially fractious, relocation to Tinseltown and from the astrological phase, a popular occurrence for enthusiasts. It was a time that included her grasp major life lessons, in her career and in private life. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she says. “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 New England, Sennott commenced developing and showcasing humor while pursuing performance at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she states. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” 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 seized control, appearing at open mics with Edebiri and uploading hilarious (and distinctly) weird skits on the internet. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, depicted a group of women obsessively drawn to pregnancy; another imagined working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being stuck in a scary movie. Interestingly, she encountered Seligman through the university’s film scene and ended up appearing in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a religious event with hints of the intense thriller. The central motif of her journey, she explains, has been people her own age supporting her, instead of established gatekeepers. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, continuing amusedly: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Career Breakthrough
Individuals who questioned about her earlier will likely be regretting it today. In what she labels a “astonishingly complete” turn of events, she has achieved her dream vehicle. In 2019 she uploaded a video named on LA life online, in which she parodied film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a series about Angelenos balancing the perks of online celebrity (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with downsides (your associate being labeled as being a intoxicated criminal, and potentially becoming a risky persona non grata). Some could simple to create a show about internet celebrity that was extremely aspirational—or, more problematic, one that belittled at its subjects. The series avoids both, making for a representation of advantaged young adult existence that’s frank about the mess and the glamour.
Empathetic Approach
“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
