Rachel Sennott enters the digital interview and immediately launches into an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, seeming truly regretful. Although she's only slightly delayed, she wants to clarify. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Fortunately, during an interview, that’s exactly what you want to hear. Moreover, it’s quite unsurprising. Anyone who have seen the boldly queer and brash film Bottoms—which she penned with the director and starred in alongside close companion The Bear’s standout—can understand that Sennott holds a lot to say, whether on gender, intimacy, or the merits of starting a teen fight club. Furthermore, after watching the recent eight-part HBO series I Love LA, viewers realize that she has additional perspectives regarding the challenges of Gen Z life (At 30, Sennott represents a relatable figure of the gang, straddling eras skilled for straddling both generations).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show are inevitable and the actress is a fan, referencing the show together with Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as guides for I Love LA, which follows the struggles of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend who is also fledgling talent manager Maia. Perhaps, the most significant influence on creative vision belonged to Entourage, that show about an emerging celebrity making his way in a gritty entertainment industry (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She started watching it during COVID-19, became “captivated”, and resolved to create a new version on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she says. The idea for this project originated—in part—from firsthand, originally difficult, transition to Los Angeles and from the astrological phase, a popular event for followers. That period marked a phase that involved her understand major insights, in her career and individually. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she says. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Starting Out
Raised in Connecticut, Sennott commenced writing and performing humor while pursuing performance at NYU’s Tisch. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” 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 took matters into her own hands, appearing at open mics with Ayo and posting hilarious (and very) unconventional skits on the internet. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, followed characters fetishistically fixated on motherhood; another envisioned working at the brand Hollister as similar to being stuck in a horror film. By chance, she connected with Emma through the university’s film scene and ended up featuring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful film set at a funeral gathering with shades of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her path, she notes, has been people her own age giving her a shot, as opposed to the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she repeats, adding with a laugh: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Manifesting Dreams
Individuals who had doubts about Sennott then will certainly be feeling foolish today. As part of she describes as a “wild, full-circle” development, she appears to achieved her dream vehicle. In 2019 she posted a video called about Los Angeles on social media, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Years later, she’s a lead creator (with her partner) of a comedy about city dwellers juggling the perks of internet fame (such as socializing at a celebrity’s house) with drawbacks (your client being accused of being a drug-addled criminal, and potentially becoming a unreliable persona non grata). One might tempting to create a series about online fame that was horribly aspirational—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at the characters. This show steers clear of each, creating a depiction of advantaged young adult living that’s honest about the grot and the shine.
Empathetic Approach
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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
