Rachel Sennott appears on the video call and right away begins an excuse. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, appearing genuinely regretful. She is only slightly late, she needs to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Luckily, in this context, that’s precisely what you want to hear. Moreover, it’s quite unsurprising. Those familiar with her boldly openly gay and brash movie titled Bottoms—which Sennott penned with Emma Seligman and starred in alongside her friend Ayo Edebiri—will understand that Sennott holds much to say, ranging from about identity, intimacy, or the appeal of starting a youth fight club. And, once you finish her latest multi-episode program titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she has additional perspectives regarding the challenges of modern youth (At 30, she is a relatable figure for this generation, straddling eras with a knack for connecting millennials and Gen Z).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls can’t be avoided and Sennott is enthusiastic, naming it alongside Sex and the City, Insecure and Donald Glover’s series as influences for the project, which details the journey of a social media star Tallulah and ally who is also fledgling representative Maia. Notably, the most significant spot on concept belonged to the HBO series, that show focusing on an emerging A-list actor navigating in a corrupt Hollywood (memorable line: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott began viewing it throughout lockdown, became “hooked”, and resolved to create a new version 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 concept for this project came—in part—from her own, at first fractious, transition to Los Angeles and from the cosmic event, a frequently discussed event for astrology heads. It was a time that included her learn significant truths, work-wise and individually. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she says. “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
Growing up in New England, Sennott began creating and acting humor while studying performance 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.” “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
Sennott decided to act independently, appearing at amateur nights with her friend and uploading hilarious (and decidedly) bizarre online content online. One, Baby Cult, depicted characters obsessively obsessed with having babies; another imagined working at a trendy retail outlet as similar to being caught in a thriller. In a neat twist of fate, she encountered Seligman through the university’s film scene and eventually starring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a funeral gathering with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. A recurring idea of her journey, she says, has been peers giving her a shot, as opposed to established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, stating with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”
Rising Success
Those who had doubts regarding her earlier will surely be kicking themselves currently. In what she calls a “incredibly circular” development, she seems to have created the perfect project. A few years back she posted content called about Los Angeles on the internet, in which she mocked movie previews (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with the co-writer) of a series about LA residents juggling advantages of online celebrity (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with downsides (your friend being accused of being a intoxicated thief, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). It would be simple to produce a series about online fame that was extremely idealized—or, more problematic, one that punched down at those depicted. This show avoids both, making for a representation of advantaged millennial living that’s honest about the chaos and the shine.
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
