Rachel Sennott joins the online meeting and at once begins an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, appearing really apologetic. Although she's only a couple of minutes behind, she needs to explain. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Thankfully, during an interview, that’s precisely what you want to encounter. Moreover, it’s fairly predictable. Those who have seen the fearlessly LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass film Bottoms—which she penned with Emma Seligman and appeared in together with close companion The Bear’s standout—can already know that Sennott holds a lot to discuss, ranging from on gender, sex, or the appeal of starting a high-school fight club. Plus, by the end her new seasonal program I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star carries even more insights regarding the struggles of Gen Z life (At 30, Sennott serves as a relatable figure to younger audiences, on the cusp adept for straddling millennials and Gen Z).
Inspirations and Creative Vision
Likenesses to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and the actress is enthusiastic, citing it 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 her friend who is also aspiring talent manager portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the largest influence on concept was reserved for Entourage, that show focusing on an up-and-coming A-list actor navigating in a corrupt entertainment industry (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She started watching it throughout COVID-19, became “hooked”, and decided to create a new version 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 inspiration for the series originated—in part—from firsthand, initially difficult, relocation to LA and from the astrological phase, a much-talked-about occurrence for followers. That period marked an era that included her understand some big truths, work-wise and in private life. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she recalls. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Humble Origins
Brought up in New England, Sennott began writing and performing stand-up while studying theatre at NYU’s Tisch. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she explains. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. 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.”
She decided to act independently, performing at live shows with Edebiri and uploading hysterical (and decidedly) weird comedy videos on the internet. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, followed a group of women obsessively drawn to having babies; a different one portrayed being employed at the brand Hollister as similar to being stuck in a thriller. In a neat twist of fate, she connected with Emma through NYU’s movie community and ended up starring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a Jewish wake with echoes of the intense thriller. The big theme of her path, she notes, has been peers offering opportunities, instead of established gatekeepers. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Definitely not them”, she repeats, continuing amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”
Rising Success
Those who were skeptical regarding Sennott previously will likely be regretting it now. As part of she describes as a “astonishingly complete” turn of events, she has created the perfect project. In 2019 she uploaded a video titled on LA life online, in which she parodied movie previews (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Six years on, she’s a lead creator (with the co-writer) of a show about Angelenos juggling the perks of digital stardom (such as partying at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your client being labeled as being a intoxicated criminal, and possibly becoming a unreliable pariah). Some could tempting to produce a series about internet celebrity that was horribly idealized—or, worse, one that belittled at its subjects. I Love LA does neither, resulting in a depiction of affluent young adult life that’s candid about the grot and the appeal.
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
