Rachel Sennott appears on the video call and immediately begins an apology. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she states, sounding genuinely apologetic. Despite being only a couple of minutes behind, 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!” Fortunately, for a writer, that’s exactly what is ideal to encounter. Besides, it’s fairly expected. Those familiar with the boldly queer and unapologetically crass film Bottoms—which Sennott collaborated on with the director and appeared in with her friend Ayo Edebiri—can understand that Sennott has a lot to say, be it about roles, intimacy, or the merits of forming a youth combat group. Furthermore, after watching her recent eight-part show I Love LA, it is clear that she has further thoughts regarding the challenges of Gen Z life (As a millennial, she serves as an honorary member for this generation, a tale-end millennial with a knack for straddling both generations).
Guiding Lights and Creative Vision
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show are inevitable and the actress is enthusiastic, referencing it alongside the HBO hit, Insecure and Atlanta as guides for her series, which follows the travails of an influencer Tallulah and close companion and new agent portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the biggest presence on concept belonged to the popular sitcom, the program about an up-and-coming A-list actor navigating in a corrupt entertainment industry (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott began viewing it during COVID-19, became “hooked”, and decided 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 says. The idea for the series came—in part—from personal, initially fractious, move to LA and from her astrological phase, a frequently discussed occurrence for enthusiasts. This represented a phase that saw her grasp significant insights, professionally and personally. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she says. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Early Beginnings
Brought up in the East Coast, Sennott started creating and acting humor while pursuing theatre at a prestigious arts school. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she states. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
She decided to act independently, appearing at amateur nights with Edebiri and sharing uproarious (and very) bizarre comedy videos on the internet. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, followed characters fetishistically drawn to pregnancy; another envisioned being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being stuck in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she encountered Emma through the university’s film scene and ultimately appearing in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a funeral gathering with hints of the intense thriller. The big theme of her journey, she notes, has been peers giving her a shot, rather than the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “They were not involved”, she confirms, stating with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”
Rising Success
Those who had doubts about her earlier will likely be regretting it currently. As part of she describes as a “wild, full-circle” development, she appears to created her dream vehicle. A few years back she shared content named about Los Angeles on social media, in which she mocked film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a show about city dwellers balancing advantages of internet fame (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with drawbacks (your friend being labeled as being a drug-addled thief, and potentially becoming a unreliable persona non grata). It would be simple to create a series about digital influence that was horribly idealized—or, worse, one that punched down at those depicted. This show does neither, making for a depiction of privileged young adult living that’s honest about the grot and the glamour.
Balanced Perspective
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” she says. “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
