Rachel Sennott joins the video call and at once begins an excuse. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, seeming really regretful. She is only a bit behind, she needs to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Luckily, in this context, this is precisely what is ideal to hear. Additionally, it’s quite expected. Viewers who know the boldly LGBTQ+ and outspoken project titled Bottoms—that Sennott penned with her creative partner and appeared in alongside collaborator The Bear’s standout—would understand that she possesses much to share, whether on roles, sex, or the pros of creating a youth combat group. And, once you finish her latest eight-part HBO series titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she holds further insights about the darker side of modern youth (Now in her thirties, Sennott serves as a bridge to younger audiences, a tale-end millennial with a knack for straddling millennials and Gen Z).
Guiding Lights and Artistic Direction
The comparisons to the iconic series Girls can’t be avoided and the actress is enthusiastic, referencing the show alongside the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and Donald Glover’s series as influences for I Love LA, which follows the travails of online personality Tallulah and close companion who is also new talent manager Maia. Notably, the largest influence on creative vision was reserved for the popular sitcom, the show focusing on an up-and-coming Hollywood star making his way in a gritty Hollywood (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott started watching it throughout COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and resolved to put her own twist on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she explains. The concept for the series came—in part—from her own, initially rocky, relocation to LA and from the cosmic event, a frequently discussed phenomenon for enthusiasts. That period marked a time that involved her understand significant truths, professionally and individually. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she recalls. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Starting Out
Growing up in Connecticut, the star started developing and showcasing comedy while pursuing acting at a prestigious arts school. “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.” And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She seized control, performing at live shows with Edebiri and sharing hilarious (and very) weird online content online. A particular video, Baby Cult, followed a group of women obsessively drawn to having babies; another envisioned working at the brand Hollister as similar to being stuck in a horror film. Interestingly, she connected with Seligman through campus film circles and eventually starring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a funeral gathering with hints of Uncut Gems. A recurring idea of her journey, she notes, has been people her own age offering opportunities, rather than the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she emphasizes, continuing humorously: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Manifesting Dreams
Those who were skeptical regarding her earlier will certainly be regretting it now. In what she describes as a “wild, full-circle” development, she appears to created an ideal role. In 2019 she posted content titled about Los Angeles on the internet, in which she lampooned film promos (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with her partner) of a series about city dwellers balancing advantages of internet fame (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with drawbacks (your associate being accused of being a drug-addled criminal, and perhaps becoming a risky pariah). It would be simple to create a show about online fame that was extremely idealized—or, even less favorable, one that mocked at the characters. The series steers clear of each, creating a depiction of advantaged millennial life that’s candid about the mess and the appeal.
Empathetic Approach
“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
