Rachel Sennott on her hilarious series portraying the grotty allure of younger generation lifestyle
Rachel Sennott joins the video call and right away launches into an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she says, sounding truly remorseful. She is only a bit delayed, she feels compelled to clarify. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, in this context, this is exactly what is ideal to experience. Moreover, it’s fairly expected. Anyone who know the unapologetically queer and outspoken project titled Bottoms—that Sennott co-wrote with the director and starred in together with close companion the talented actress—can be aware that Sennott holds plenty to share, whether on gender, relationships, or the merits of starting a youth combat group. And, after watching her new eight-part program I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she has further perspectives about the challenges of young adulthood (At 30, Sennott is an honorary member for this generation, on the cusp adept for straddling millennials and Gen Z).
Influences and Storytelling Approach
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and the actress readily acknowledges an admirer, referencing the show alongside the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as inspirations for her series, which tracks the journey of an influencer Tallulah and close companion and fledgling talent manager Sennott’s character. However, the largest spot on concept belonged to the HBO series, the show focusing on an emerging Hollywood star navigating in a gritty Hollywood (memorable line: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She started watching it during COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and resolved to add a fresh perspective on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she says. The inspiration for this project emerged—in part—from personal, originally rocky, transition to LA and from her astrological phase, a much-talked-about occurrence for astrology heads. That period marked a time that saw her learn significant life lessons, professionally and in private life. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” 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 commenced developing and showcasing humor while enrolled in acting 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.” “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
Sennott seized control, performing at live shows with Edebiri and sharing hilarious (and distinctly) unconventional skits online. A particular video, Baby Cult, centered on characters fetishistically obsessed with motherhood; a different one portrayed working at the brand Hollister as like being trapped in a scary movie. By chance, she connected with Emma through NYU’s movie community and ultimately starring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a funeral gathering with shades of the intense thriller. The central motif of her journey, she says, has been contemporaries supporting her, instead of established gatekeepers. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she repeats, adding with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”
Career Breakthrough
Anyone who were skeptical about her previously will likely be kicking themselves currently. As part of she describes as a “wild, full-circle” story, she has manifested her dream vehicle. A few years back she posted a video titled about Los Angeles online, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a show about city dwellers balancing benefits of digital stardom (such as socializing at a famous actor’s house) with downsides (your client being suspected of being a drug-addled thief, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). One might simple to make a series about online fame that was overly glamorous—or, worse, one that belittled at its subjects. This show avoids both, creating a representation of affluent young adult existence that’s frank about the chaos and the shine.
Empathetic Approach
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” she observes. “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