Rachel Sennott appears on the video call and immediately begins an excuse. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, appearing genuinely regretful. She is only slightly late, she feels compelled to clarify. “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, this is just what one hopes to experience. Additionally, it’s quite expected. Those familiar with her fearlessly queer and brash movie titled Bottoms—that she collaborated on with her creative partner and appeared in alongside collaborator The Bear’s standout—can already know that she possesses plenty to say, ranging from about roles, intimacy, or the merits of starting a high-school combat group. And, once you finish the recent eight-part HBO series I Love LA, it is clear that she carries even more thoughts regarding the struggles of modern youth (At 30, she is a relatable figure for this generation, straddling eras skilled for straddling both generations).
Guiding Lights and Storytelling Approach
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s Girls can’t be avoided and Sennott readily acknowledges a fan, citing the show together with the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as guides for her series, which follows the struggles of a social media star Tallulah and her friend and aspiring representative portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the most significant influence on creative vision went to Entourage, the HBO sitcom focusing on a rising A-list actor succeeding in a corrupt entertainment industry (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott discovered it amid lockdown, became “obsessed”, and decided 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 notes. The concept for the series came—to some extent—from her own, originally fractious, transition to Tinseltown and from her cosmic event, a frequently discussed phenomenon for enthusiasts. That period marked a time that included her learn significant truths, work-wise and personally. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she admits. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Humble Origins
Brought up in the East Coast, Sennott started developing and showcasing comedy while studying theatre at NYU’s Tisch. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she states. “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. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
Sennott decided to act independently, taking the stage at open mics with Ayo and uploading uproarious (and very) unconventional online content digitally. One, titled Baby Cult, depicted several females obsessively fixated on pregnancy; another portrayed being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being trapped in a horror film. Interestingly, she encountered Emma through campus film circles and ultimately appearing in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a religious event with hints of the Safdie brothers’ movie. A recurring idea of her journey, she notes, has been people her own age offering opportunities, instead of the industry at large. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, adding amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”
Manifesting Dreams
Anyone who were skeptical regarding Sennott then will likely be feeling foolish currently. As part of she calls a “incredibly circular” development, she has created an ideal role. A few years back she uploaded a clip named on LA life on the internet, in which she mocked film promos (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a comedy about LA residents balancing advantages of online celebrity (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your client being accused of being a intoxicated stealer, and potentially becoming a unreliable pariah). Some could tempting to create a program about digital influence that was extremely aspirational—or, worse, one that punched down at the characters. This show does neither, creating a depiction of advantaged young adult life that’s frank about the chaos and the appeal.
Empathetic Approach
“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” 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