The actress and writer on her side-splitting series depicting that messy allure of today's youth existence
Rachel Sennott joins the digital interview and immediately begins an explanation. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she states, appearing genuinely remorseful. She is only a bit behind, she feels compelled to justify. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Fortunately, in this context, that’s exactly what is ideal to experience. Besides, it’s pretty expected. Those who have seen the boldly openly gay and unapologetically crass film Bottoms—which she collaborated on with Emma Seligman and appeared in together with close companion the talented actress—can understand that Sennott has a lot to discuss, whether about roles, intimacy, or the merits of starting a teen brawl society. Furthermore, after watching the recent eight-part HBO series I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she carries additional thoughts regarding the darker side of Gen Z life (As a millennial, she represents a bridge of the gang, a tale-end millennial adept for bridging different age groups).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
Parallels to the iconic series Girls can’t be avoided and Sennott admits to being a fan, referencing the show alongside the HBO hit, Insecure and the innovative program as inspirations for I Love LA, which details the travails of online personality Tallulah and close companion who is also new agent Sennott’s character. However, the largest influence on the moodboard went to Entourage, that show depicting a rising Hollywood star making his way in a gritty Hollywood (choice quote: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She started watching it throughout COVID-19, became “captivated”, and chose to put her own twist on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she explains. The inspiration for the series emerged—partly—from firsthand, initially rocky, transition to Tinseltown and from her cosmic event, a frequently discussed event for enthusiasts. It was a time that involved her understand some big truths, work-wise and in private life. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she recalls. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Starting Out
Brought up in New England, the star commenced writing and performing humor while pursuing theatre at a prestigious arts school. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she says. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She seized control, taking the stage at open mics with Ayo and posting hysterical (and decidedly) bizarre online content on the internet. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, centered on characters intensely obsessed with pregnancy; a different one envisioned being employed at the brand Hollister as like being caught in a horror film. Interestingly, she encountered Emma through NYU’s movie community and ultimately starring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a Jewish wake with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her career, she explains, has been peers giving her a shot, instead of the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, adding humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Manifesting Dreams
Those who were skeptical regarding Sennott earlier will surely be feeling foolish today. In what she labels a “wild, full-circle” turn of events, she has manifested the perfect project. Previously she posted content titled on LA life online, in which she lampooned film promos (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Six years on, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a show about city dwellers balancing advantages of internet fame (such as socializing at a celebrity’s house) with its pitfalls (your client being labeled as being a intoxicated thief, and possibly becoming a unreliable outcast). One might easy to make a series about online fame that was horribly glamorous—or, worse, one that punched down at its subjects. The series avoids both, resulting in a depiction of affluent twentysomething existence that’s candid about the grot and the glamour.
Empathetic Approach
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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
