Rachel Sennott joins the online meeting and right away launches into an apology. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, appearing really apologetic. Although she's only a couple of minutes late, she needs to clarify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Fortunately, in this context, that’s just what one hopes to experience. Moreover, it’s fairly predictable. Viewers who have seen the boldly queer and outspoken movie titled Bottoms—that Sennott penned with the director and appeared in with close companion The Bear’s standout—will be aware that she possesses much to say, whether about roles, relationships, or the merits of forming a youth combat group. Plus, after watching her latest eight-part HBO series titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she carries even more thoughts on the challenges of young adulthood (As a millennial, Sennott represents a bridge to younger audiences, a tale-end millennial with a knack for connecting both generations).
Influences and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls are inevitable and the actress readily acknowledges enthusiastic, referencing the show alongside the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as influences for her series, which details the journey of a social media star Tallulah and close companion who is also new talent manager Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the largest spot on the moodboard went to the popular sitcom, the program depicting a rising Hollywood star navigating in an often-seedy LA scene (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott discovered it amid the pandemic, became “captivated”, and resolved to add a fresh perspective on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she says. The inspiration for the series originated—in part—from her own, at first fractious, move to Los Angeles and from her saturn return, a frequently discussed occurrence for astrology heads. That period marked a time that involved her learn major truths, work-wise and in private life. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she recalls. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Humble Origins
Brought up in the East Coast, the star started writing and performing stand-up while studying theatre 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 says. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She seized control, performing at open mics with Ayo and sharing hysterical (and very) weird online content online. A particular video, Baby Cult, centered on characters fetishistically obsessed with pregnancy; a different one imagined being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being stuck in a thriller. Interestingly, she connected with Emma through NYU’s movie community and eventually appearing in her first film, Shiva Baby, a stressful film set at a funeral gathering with shades of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her path, she notes, has been peers offering opportunities, as opposed to the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she repeats, stating amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Rising Success
Those who were skeptical about Sennott earlier will certainly be kicking themselves today. Through she calls a “astonishingly complete” turn of events, she seems to have manifested the perfect project. In 2019 she uploaded a video named about Los Angeles on social media, in which she lampooned movie previews (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a series about Angelenos managing benefits of internet fame (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your associate being suspected of being a substance-abusing stealer, and possibly becoming a risky persona non grata). One might easy to make a program about online fame that was extremely idealized—or, more problematic, one that punched down at those depicted. This show does neither, resulting in a depiction of affluent twentysomething life that’s candid about the grot and the glamour.
Empathetic Approach
“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
