Rachel Sennott enters the online meeting and right away launches into an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, sounding really remorseful. Despite being only a couple of minutes late, 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!” Fortunately, during an interview, this is just what one hopes to experience. Besides, it’s fairly predictable. Those who have seen the boldly queer and brash film Bottoms—that Sennott co-wrote with the director and starred in with collaborator The Bear’s standout—can already know that she holds a lot to share, whether on gender, sex, or the pros of starting a high-school combat group. And, once you finish her recent seasonal program I Love LA, it is clear that the star has further insights on the challenges of young adulthood (As a millennial, Sennott serves as an honorary member of the gang, on the cusp adept for connecting millennials and Gen Z).
Guiding Lights and Creative Vision
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s Girls are inevitable and the actress readily acknowledges a fan, referencing the show in addition to the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as guides for her series, which tracks the struggles of an influencer Tallulah and close companion who is also fledgling agent portrayed by Sennott. However, the biggest influence on concept belonged to the popular sitcom, the show depicting an up-and-coming Hollywood star succeeding in a corrupt entertainment industry (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She discovered it throughout lockdown, became “captivated”, and chose to add a fresh perspective on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she notes. The inspiration for the series originated—partly—from her own, originally fractious, transition to Los Angeles and from the saturn return, a frequently discussed event for followers. It was a phase that included her learn significant life lessons, in her career and personally. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” 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 the East Coast, Sennott commenced developing and showcasing stand-up while pursuing theatre at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she explains. “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. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She seized control, appearing at open mics with her friend and sharing hilarious (and very) bizarre comedy videos digitally. One, Baby Cult, followed characters obsessively obsessed with pregnancy; a different one portrayed being employed at a trendy retail outlet as like being stuck in a thriller. By chance, she connected with Emma through campus film circles and eventually appearing in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a Jewish wake with shades of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her journey, she notes, has been contemporaries offering opportunities, instead of the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she repeats, adding with a laugh: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Rising Success
Anyone who were skeptical regarding her earlier will likely be kicking themselves now. In what she calls a “astonishingly complete” turn of events, she appears to achieved her dream vehicle. Previously she uploaded a clip titled “it’s LA” on social media, in which she lampooned movie previews (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Six years on, she’s the co-showrunner (with her partner) of a show about city dwellers juggling the perks of digital stardom (such as socializing at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your associate being accused of being a substance-abusing criminal, and possibly becoming a unreliable outcast). It would be simple to make a series about internet celebrity that was overly aspirational—or, more problematic, one that belittled at those depicted. The series avoids both, making for a portrait of privileged young adult existence that’s frank about the grot and the glamour.
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
