Rachel Sennott joins the video call and immediately starts an apology. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, appearing really apologetic. Despite being only a couple of minutes behind, she needs to clarify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Fortunately, during an interview, that’s precisely what one hopes to hear. Moreover, it’s quite unsurprising. Anyone who know her boldly openly gay and brash movie titled Bottoms—which Sennott penned with the director and starred in together with collaborator the talented actress—can be aware that Sennott holds a lot to say, whether about roles, relationships, or the merits of starting a high-school fight club. Plus, once you finish her recent seasonal program titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she has further insights on the struggles of modern youth (At 30, Sennott serves as a relatable figure for this generation, on the cusp with a knack for bridging millennials and Gen Z).
Guiding Lights and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls are inevitable and the actress is an admirer, naming it in addition to the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as inspirations for I Love LA, which follows the travails of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion who is also fledgling agent Maia. However, the largest spot on creative vision was reserved for the HBO series, the show depicting an emerging celebrity succeeding in a corrupt Hollywood (notable statement: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott started watching it throughout lockdown, became “hooked”, and resolved to create a new version on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she explains. The inspiration for the series emerged—to some extent—from firsthand, initially rocky, relocation to LA and from her saturn return, a popular phenomenon for enthusiasts. This represented an era that included her understand significant life lessons, in her career and in private life. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she admits. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Starting Out
Raised in New England, the star started developing and showcasing comedy while enrolled in theatre at a prestigious arts school. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she explains. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “None of the university plays cast me either.” And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She seized control, performing at amateur nights with Edebiri and uploading hilarious (and decidedly) weird comedy videos on the internet. A particular video, Baby Cult, centered on a group of women obsessively fixated on having babies; another portrayed working at the brand Hollister as like being trapped in a horror film. By chance, she met Emma through NYU’s movie community and ultimately starring in her first film, Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a religious event with hints of Uncut Gems. A recurring idea of her career, she notes, has been peers offering opportunities, rather than traditional networks. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, adding humorously: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Manifesting Dreams
Individuals who were skeptical about her then will certainly be feeling foolish now. As part of she labels a “incredibly circular” turn of events, she has manifested an ideal role. Previously she posted content titled “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about LA residents managing the perks of internet fame (such as celebrating at Elijah Wood’s house) with drawbacks (your associate being accused of being a intoxicated criminal, and potentially becoming a risky persona non grata). It would be easy to produce a program about online fame that was extremely idealized—or, more problematic, one that belittled at the characters. This show avoids both, creating a portrait of advantaged millennial living that’s honest about the grot and the shine.
Balanced Perspective
“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” 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
