Rachel Sennott enters the digital interview and right away starts an apology. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, appearing truly apologetic. Despite being only slightly late, she feels compelled to clarify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Fortunately, in this context, that’s exactly what one hopes to encounter. Besides, it’s fairly predictable. Those who have seen the unapologetically queer and brash movie titled Bottoms—which she co-wrote with the director and appeared in alongside close companion Ayo Edebiri—will understand that Sennott holds a lot to share, whether about roles, intimacy, or the pros of forming a high-school brawl society. And, once you finish her recent seasonal show I Love LA, viewers realize that she holds even more perspectives about the challenges of young adulthood (As a millennial, Sennott represents a bridge of the gang, a tale-end millennial with a knack for bridging millennials and Gen Z).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls can’t be avoided and Sennott is a fan, citing the show in addition to the classic series, Insecure and the innovative program as inspirations for I Love LA, which follows the struggles of a social media star Tallulah and close companion who is also fledgling agent Sennott’s character. However, the largest influence on creative vision went to the popular sitcom, the HBO sitcom about a rising Hollywood star making his way in a gritty LA scene (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She began viewing it during COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and resolved to add a fresh perspective on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she explains. The idea for the series originated—to some extent—from personal, at first rocky, relocation to LA and from her astrological phase, a frequently discussed occurrence for followers. This represented an era that included her grasp some big truths, work-wise and in private life. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she says. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Starting Out
Brought up in the East Coast, Sennott began developing and showcasing comedy while pursuing performance at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “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. “None of the university plays cast me either.” “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
She seized control, appearing at live shows with Ayo and sharing uproarious (and decidedly) unconventional online content digitally. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, centered on several females fetishistically fixated on motherhood; a different one imagined being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being caught in a thriller. Interestingly, she encountered Emma through campus film circles and eventually featuring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a religious event with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. A recurring idea of her path, she notes, has been people her own age offering opportunities, rather than traditional networks. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she repeats, stating amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Those who had doubts about Sennott previously will surely be feeling foolish now. In what she labels a “astonishingly complete” turn of events, she has created the perfect project. Previously she shared a video named “it’s LA” online, in which she lampooned movie previews (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with her partner) of a comedy about city dwellers managing benefits of digital stardom (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with drawbacks (your friend being suspected of being a substance-abusing stealer, and perhaps becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). It would be simple to produce a series about online fame that was horribly aspirational—or, more problematic, one that punched down at those depicted. This show avoids both, making for a portrait of advantaged young adult life that’s candid about the chaos 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
