Rachel Sennott joins the video call and immediately starts an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she states, seeming genuinely regretful. She is only a couple of minutes delayed, she needs to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Fortunately, in this context, that’s exactly what you want to hear. Additionally, it’s quite unsurprising. Those familiar with the boldly LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass project Bottoms—that Sennott penned with the director and featured in with her friend The Bear’s standout—can already know that she holds plenty to discuss, whether about identity, sex, or the pros of creating a youth fight club. Plus, by the end her latest seasonal program titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star holds even more perspectives regarding the challenges of Gen Z life (At 30, Sennott represents a bridge of the gang, a tale-end millennial with a knack for bridging both generations).
Inspirations and Creative Vision
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and Sennott is an admirer, naming the show in addition to the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as influences for her series, which details the journey of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion who is also new representative portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the largest presence on concept belonged to Entourage, the show depicting an emerging Hollywood star making his way in a gritty LA scene (choice quote: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She started watching it during lockdown, became “captivated”, and decided to add a fresh perspective 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 notes. The idea for the series originated—to some extent—from firsthand, at first difficult, relocation to Tinseltown and from the cosmic event, a frequently discussed event for enthusiasts. It was an era that saw her understand major truths, professionally and personally. “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
Brought up in Connecticut, the star started developing and showcasing comedy while pursuing performance at NYU’s Tisch. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she explains. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
Sennott decided to act independently, taking the stage at live shows with her friend and posting hysterical (and decidedly) weird skits digitally. A particular video, Baby Cult, followed characters intensely fixated on pregnancy; another imagined being employed at a trendy retail outlet as like being trapped in a scary movie. By chance, she met Seligman through campus film circles and eventually appearing in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a Jewish wake with echoes of Uncut Gems. A recurring idea of her path, she notes, has been peers supporting her, instead of the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, stating humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Anyone who were skeptical about Sennott earlier will certainly be feeling foolish today. As part of she calls a “incredibly circular” story, she seems to have created an ideal role. In 2019 she posted a video called on LA life online, in which she lampooned movie previews (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with Emma Barrie) of a series about LA residents managing the perks of internet fame (such as socializing at a famous actor’s house) with drawbacks (your friend being labeled as being a drug-addled thief, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” pariah). It would be simple to make a show about internet celebrity that was horribly aspirational—or, even less favorable, one that belittled at its subjects. The series steers clear of each, making for a portrait of advantaged millennial living that’s frank about the grot and the appeal.
Nuanced Portrayal
“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
