Rachel Sennott appears on the digital interview and right away starts an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, sounding genuinely regretful. She is only a couple of minutes delayed, she needs 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 exactly what one hopes to hear. Additionally, it’s fairly expected. Anyone who have seen her unapologetically LGBTQ+ and outspoken movie Bottoms—which Sennott collaborated on with the director and starred in alongside her friend the talented actress—will already know that Sennott has plenty to say, whether on identity, relationships, or the pros of forming a youth brawl society. Plus, once you finish her recent seasonal HBO series titled I Love LA, viewers realize that she has further thoughts regarding the struggles of young adulthood (Now in her thirties, Sennott represents an honorary member for this generation, on the cusp with a knack for connecting both generations).
Guiding Lights and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and Sennott readily acknowledges enthusiastic, naming the show alongside Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as guides for I Love LA, which follows the travails of online personality Tallulah and her friend who is also new talent manager Sennott’s character. However, the largest spot on concept went to the HBO series, that program about a rising celebrity navigating in a corrupt Hollywood (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She started watching it during COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and chose to add a fresh perspective 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 says. The idea for this project came—partly—from her own, initially fractious, relocation to LA and from the astrological phase, a much-talked-about phenomenon for enthusiasts. That period marked a time that saw her learn significant insights, in her career and individually. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” 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…”
Starting Out
Raised in Connecticut, the star began creating and acting comedy while studying acting at NYU’s Tisch. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” 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 took matters into her own hands, performing at open mics with Ayo and posting hilarious (and very) unconventional online content on the internet. One, titled Baby Cult, centered on several females intensely obsessed with motherhood; another imagined being employed at a trendy retail outlet as like being stuck in a scary movie. Interestingly, she met Emma through campus film circles and ended up starring in her first film, Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a religious event with hints of the Safdie brothers’ movie. A recurring idea of her path, she says, has been people her own age giving her a shot, as opposed to the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, continuing with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”
Manifesting Dreams
Individuals who questioned regarding Sennott earlier will likely be regretting it today. Through she describes as a “incredibly circular” story, she seems to have manifested her dream vehicle. Previously she shared a video called “it’s LA” online, in which she parodied film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about Angelenos juggling the perks of internet fame (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your client being accused of being a substance-abusing stealer, and perhaps becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). It would be simple to create a program about online fame that was extremely glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that mocked at its subjects. This show steers clear of each, creating a representation of privileged twentysomething life that’s honest about the chaos and the glamour.
Empathetic Approach
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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
