Rachel Sennott joins the video call and immediately launches into an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, seeming genuinely apologetic. She is only slightly delayed, she feels compelled to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Fortunately, in this context, this is precisely what one hopes to experience. Moreover, it’s fairly predictable. Anyone who know the boldly LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass film titled Bottoms—which she co-wrote with the director and appeared in together with collaborator The Bear’s standout—would understand that Sennott possesses much to share, ranging from on gender, relationships, or the pros of creating a teen combat group. Furthermore, after watching her latest eight-part show I Love LA, it is clear that she carries even more insights regarding the struggles of Gen Z life (As a millennial, Sennott is a bridge for this generation, straddling eras with a knack for bridging different age groups).
Guiding Lights and Creative Vision
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls are inevitable and the actress is a fan, naming the show in addition to the classic series, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as influences for the project, which follows the struggles of online personality Tallulah and close companion who is also aspiring agent portrayed by Sennott. However, the largest presence on the moodboard belonged to the HBO series, the HBO sitcom depicting a rising celebrity making his way in a gritty Hollywood (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott began viewing it amid COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and resolved to put her own twist on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she explains. The inspiration for the series came—in part—from personal, originally difficult, relocation to LA and from her cosmic event, a much-talked-about phenomenon for enthusiasts. That period marked a time that included her grasp significant insights, work-wise and individually. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she recalls. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Humble Origins
Growing up in Connecticut, the star began developing and showcasing comedy while studying theatre at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” 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. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
She took matters into her own hands, appearing at amateur nights with Edebiri and posting hilarious (and distinctly) bizarre skits on the internet. One, titled Baby Cult, depicted a group of women intensely fixated on pregnancy; another envisioned being employed at a trendy retail outlet as like being caught in a thriller. In a neat twist of fate, she connected with Emma through campus film circles and ended up starring in her initial project, Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a religious event with hints of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her career, she says, has been people her own age supporting her, instead of the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she repeats, continuing humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Anyone who questioned about her previously will surely be regretting it now. In what she labels a “incredibly circular” development, she seems to have created her dream vehicle. Previously she shared a clip called “it’s LA” online, in which she parodied movie previews (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Years later, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a series about Angelenos balancing the perks of internet fame (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with downsides (your friend being accused of being a drug-addled criminal, and potentially becoming a unreliable outcast). One might simple to make a show about digital influence that was overly aspirational—or, worse, one that belittled at its subjects. This show does neither, creating a portrait of privileged twentysomething existence that’s honest about the chaos and the appeal.
Nuanced Portrayal
“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
