Rachel Sennott joins the video call and immediately starts an apology. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, seeming really remorseful. She is only a bit delayed, she wants to justify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Luckily, in this context, that’s precisely what is ideal to encounter. Besides, it’s fairly predictable. Those who have seen the unapologetically queer and outspoken film Bottoms—that Sennott penned with her creative partner and starred in together with close companion Ayo Edebiri—would be aware that she has much to say, whether on roles, intimacy, or the appeal of starting a teen combat group. Furthermore, after watching the latest multi-episode program I Love LA, viewers realize that the star holds even more perspectives regarding the challenges of Gen Z life (Now in her thirties, Sennott is a bridge to younger audiences, straddling eras adept for connecting millennials and Gen Z).
Guiding Lights and Artistic Direction
Parallels to the iconic series Girls can’t be avoided and the actress readily acknowledges an admirer, referencing it alongside the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and the innovative program as influences for the project, which details the travails of an influencer Tallulah and close companion and new talent manager portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the most significant spot on creative vision belonged to the popular sitcom, that show depicting a rising Hollywood star succeeding in a gritty Hollywood (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott started watching it throughout the pandemic, became “obsessed”, and resolved to add a fresh perspective 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 says. The inspiration for this project emerged—in part—from her own, initially rocky, move to Tinseltown and from her cosmic event, a popular phenomenon for astrology heads. This represented a phase that included her understand significant insights, in her career and in private life. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she recalls. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Humble Origins
Brought up in Connecticut, Sennott began creating and acting stand-up while enrolled in theatre at NYU’s Tisch. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she explains. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “None of the university plays cast me either.” “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
Sennott seized control, appearing at open mics with her friend and uploading hysterical (and very) bizarre comedy videos digitally. One, titled Baby Cult, centered on a group of women intensely obsessed with having babies; a different one portrayed working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being stuck in a thriller. In a neat twist of fate, she connected with Seligman through campus film circles and ultimately featuring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a Jewish wake with hints of the intense thriller. The big theme of her career, she explains, has been contemporaries offering opportunities, as opposed to traditional networks. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she repeats, adding with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”
Career Breakthrough
Those who questioned regarding Sennott earlier will likely be kicking themselves today. Through she calls a “wild, full-circle” development, she appears to achieved her dream vehicle. A few years back she posted a clip titled “it’s LA” online, in which she mocked film promos (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Six years on, she’s a lead creator (with the co-writer) of a show about city dwellers balancing advantages of internet fame (such as socializing at a famous actor’s house) with drawbacks (your client being suspected of being a intoxicated stealer, and potentially becoming a unreliable persona non grata). One might tempting to create a program about internet celebrity that was overly glamorous—or, more problematic, one that mocked at those depicted. The series steers clear of each, making for a depiction of affluent young adult living that’s honest about the chaos and the appeal.
Nuanced Portrayal
“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
