Rachel Sennott joins the video call and at once launches into an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, appearing really remorseful. Although she's only a couple of minutes behind, she wants to explain. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Thankfully, during an interview, this is exactly what you want to experience. Besides, it’s fairly expected. Anyone who have seen her fearlessly queer and brash movie titled Bottoms—that she collaborated on with Emma Seligman and starred in together with her friend The Bear’s standout—would understand that she has a lot to say, be it about gender, relationships, or the pros of starting a high-school combat group. Plus, by the end the new seasonal HBO series I Love LA, viewers realize that she carries further thoughts about the darker side of modern youth (As a millennial, she represents a bridge of the gang, straddling eras with a knack for bridging different age groups).
Inspirations and Storytelling Approach
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and the actress admits to being an admirer, referencing the show alongside the HBO hit, Insecure and Donald Glover’s series as influences for I Love LA, which tracks the travails of a social media star Tallulah and ally and fledgling agent portrayed by Sennott. However, the most significant presence on the moodboard went to the popular sitcom, that program depicting an up-and-coming celebrity making his way in a gritty entertainment industry (notable statement: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She started watching it amid the pandemic, became “hooked”, and decided to put her own twist 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 explains. The idea for this project came—partly—from personal, originally difficult, move to LA and from the cosmic event, a frequently discussed event for enthusiasts. That period marked a time that involved her understand major truths, in her career and individually. “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
Growing up in New England, the star commenced writing and performing stand-up while studying performance at a prestigious arts school. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she says. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She seized control, performing at open mics with Ayo and sharing hilarious (and distinctly) weird skits online. One, titled Baby Cult, centered on a group of women intensely obsessed with motherhood; another portrayed working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being caught in a thriller. By chance, she encountered Emma through the university’s film scene and ultimately featuring 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 path, she says, has been people her own age supporting her, rather than established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she repeats, continuing with a laugh: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Manifesting Dreams
Those who questioned about Sennott then will surely be feeling foolish currently. In what she labels a “astonishingly complete” development, she seems to have achieved her dream vehicle. Previously she shared a clip titled about Los Angeles on the internet, in which she parodied movie previews (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a series about LA residents balancing advantages of internet fame (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your associate being accused of being a intoxicated criminal, and potentially becoming a risky outcast). Some could tempting to make a program about internet celebrity that was horribly idealized—or, more problematic, one that belittled at the characters. This show steers clear of each, resulting in a representation of advantaged twentysomething living that’s candid about the grot and the shine.
Balanced Perspective
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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
