Rachel Sennott appears on the video call and at once starts an explanation. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, appearing truly apologetic. Although she's only a couple of minutes delayed, she wants to justify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Thankfully, for a writer, that’s precisely what is ideal to hear. Besides, it’s quite predictable. Those who know the boldly openly gay and outspoken project Bottoms—that she co-wrote with Emma Seligman and starred in with her friend Ayo Edebiri—can already know that she holds much to discuss, whether on roles, relationships, or the pros of starting a high-school combat group. Furthermore, by the end her recent multi-episode program I Love LA, it is clear that she carries additional perspectives about the darker side of young adulthood (At 30, Sennott is a relatable figure of the gang, on the cusp adept for connecting both generations).
Guiding Lights and Artistic Direction
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s Girls are inevitable and the actress admits to being a fan, naming the show alongside Sex and the City, Insecure and the innovative program as inspirations for her series, which tracks the journey of online personality Tallulah and ally who is also aspiring agent Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the largest presence on the moodboard was reserved for the HBO series, that show focusing on a rising A-list actor navigating in a gritty entertainment industry (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She began viewing it during the pandemic, became “obsessed”, and resolved to add a fresh perspective on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she says. The inspiration for the series originated—in part—from her own, originally rocky, move to LA and from her astrological phase, a popular occurrence for astrology heads. That period marked a phase that included her understand some big insights, work-wise and in private life. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she admits. “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…”
Humble Origins
Growing up in Connecticut, the star began writing and performing comedy while pursuing performance at NYU’s Tisch. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she states. “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. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
Sennott seized control, appearing at amateur nights with Ayo and sharing uproarious (and distinctly) bizarre online content online. A particular video, Baby Cult, depicted a group of women obsessively obsessed with having babies; a different one portrayed working at a trendy retail outlet as similar to being trapped in a scary movie. By chance, she connected with Emma through the university’s film scene and ultimately starring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful film set at a funeral gathering with shades of Uncut Gems. The central motif of her path, she explains, has been peers supporting her, rather than traditional networks. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “They were not involved”, she confirms, adding with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”
Career Breakthrough
Those who questioned about her previously will certainly be regretting it today. Through she labels a “astonishingly complete” story, she seems to have created the perfect project. A few years back she posted content named on LA life on the internet, in which she lampooned movie previews (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s a lead creator (with Emma Barrie) of a series about LA residents juggling advantages of digital stardom (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your associate being labeled as being a drug-addled criminal, and possibly becoming a unreliable persona non grata). One might tempting to make a show about online fame that was overly glamorous—or, more problematic, one that mocked at those depicted. This show does neither, making for a depiction of privileged twentysomething living that’s candid about the chaos and the glamour.
Nuanced Portrayal
“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” 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
