Rachel Sennott joins the video call and at once starts an apology. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, seeming genuinely remorseful. Despite being only a couple of minutes delayed, she needs to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Luckily, during an interview, that’s precisely what one hopes to hear. Besides, it’s fairly expected. Viewers who have seen her boldly LGBTQ+ and outspoken project Bottoms—that she penned with Emma Seligman and featured in with close companion The Bear’s standout—would already know that Sennott has a lot to say, whether about identity, relationships, or the appeal of starting a youth brawl society. Plus, after watching her recent multi-episode program I Love LA, it is clear that the star carries further thoughts on the struggles of young adulthood (At 30, Sennott serves as a relatable figure of the gang, a tale-end millennial with a knack for connecting different age groups).
Inspirations and Creative Vision
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls can’t be avoided and Sennott readily acknowledges a fan, citing the show alongside Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as inspirations for the project, which tracks the travails of a social media star Tallulah and close companion who is also aspiring representative portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the most significant spot on the moodboard went to the popular sitcom, that HBO sitcom focusing on a rising celebrity navigating in an often-seedy entertainment industry (memorable line: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott discovered it throughout COVID-19, became “obsessed”, 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 concept for this project emerged—in part—from personal, originally difficult, move to LA and from the astrological phase, a much-talked-about event for enthusiasts. That period marked a phase that included her grasp major truths, work-wise and personally. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she admits. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Humble Origins
Raised in the East Coast, the star started writing and performing comedy while pursuing acting at a prestigious arts school. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she says. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
Sennott seized control, appearing at open mics with Ayo and sharing uproarious (and very) weird online content digitally. One, Baby Cult, followed a group of women fetishistically fixated on having babies; another envisioned being employed at a trendy retail outlet as akin to being caught in a scary movie. By chance, she connected with Emma through NYU’s movie community and ended up starring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a Jewish wake with hints of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her career, she notes, has been peers giving her a shot, instead of traditional networks. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she repeats, stating humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Manifesting Dreams
Individuals who were skeptical about Sennott previously will likely be feeling foolish now. As part of she describes as a “astonishingly complete” development, she has created an ideal role. Previously she posted a clip called on LA life on the internet, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with the co-writer) of a show about LA residents balancing advantages of online celebrity (such as socializing at a celebrity’s house) with drawbacks (your client being suspected of being a substance-abusing thief, and possibly becoming a unreliable persona non grata). One might simple to make a program about internet celebrity that was extremely aspirational—or, worse, one that mocked at those depicted. The series steers clear of each, creating a depiction of advantaged young adult life that’s frank about the mess and the shine.
Empathetic Approach
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” she comments. “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
