Rachel Sennott enters the video call and immediately begins an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she exclaims, appearing genuinely remorseful. Despite being only a couple of minutes behind, she feels compelled to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, for a writer, this is just what is ideal to hear. Moreover, it’s quite expected. Those who have seen her boldly queer and brash film Bottoms—that she co-wrote with her creative partner and featured in with close companion The Bear’s standout—will already know that Sennott holds plenty to share, be it about gender, sex, or the appeal of forming a teen combat group. Plus, once you finish her new seasonal HBO series titled I Love LA, it is clear that the star holds additional thoughts regarding the darker side of modern youth (As a millennial, Sennott is an honorary member for this generation, straddling eras skilled for straddling both generations).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
Parallels to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and the actress admits to being a fan, naming the show alongside the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as inspirations for her series, which details the journey of a social media star Tallulah and close companion and aspiring agent Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the most significant influence on creative vision belonged to Entourage, that HBO sitcom depicting a rising A-list actor navigating in a gritty LA scene (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She began viewing it amid the pandemic, became “captivated”, and chose to add a fresh perspective on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she explains. The idea for the series came—in part—from personal, initially fractious, relocation to LA and from her astrological phase, a popular event for astrology heads. It was an era that involved her learn significant insights, work-wise and in private life. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she says. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Early Beginnings
Growing up in New England, the star began developing and showcasing stand-up while enrolled in theatre at NYU’s Tisch. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” 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.”
Sennott decided to act independently, taking the stage at amateur nights with Ayo and uploading uproarious (and distinctly) unconventional online content digitally. A particular video, Baby Cult, depicted a group of women obsessively fixated on having babies; another imagined working at a trendy retail outlet as similar to being caught in a thriller. By chance, she met Seligman through campus film circles and eventually starring in her initial project, Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a religious event with echoes of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her journey, she notes, has been people her own age supporting her, as opposed to the industry at large. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, adding with a laugh: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Individuals who had doubts regarding Sennott previously will certainly be kicking themselves now. In what she labels a “astonishingly complete” turn of events, she seems to have manifested the perfect project. In 2019 she posted a clip called “it’s LA” online, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with her partner) of a comedy about Angelenos managing the perks of online celebrity (such as socializing at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your client being suspected of being a substance-abusing thief, and possibly becoming a risky persona non grata). One might simple to produce a program about digital influence that was extremely aspirational—or, more problematic, one that punched down at those depicted. This show steers clear of each, resulting in a depiction of advantaged millennial existence that’s frank about the mess and the appeal.
Nuanced Portrayal
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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
