Rachel Sennott on her uproarious comedy depicting the messy appeal of younger generation lifestyle
The star appears on the digital interview and right away launches into an excuse. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, seeming really remorseful. Despite being only slightly delayed, she feels compelled to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Luckily, during an interview, that’s exactly what is ideal to encounter. Moreover, it’s quite expected. Those who know her unapologetically queer and unapologetically crass project titled Bottoms—which Sennott collaborated on with Emma Seligman and appeared in with collaborator the talented actress—would understand that she holds much to discuss, whether on identity, intimacy, or the pros of forming a high-school combat group. Furthermore, after watching her new eight-part show I Love LA, it is clear that the star holds even more perspectives about the challenges of Gen Z life (At 30, Sennott represents a bridge for this generation, a tale-end millennial with a knack for connecting different age groups).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls are inevitable and the actress readily acknowledges a fan, citing the show alongside the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and Donald Glover’s series as influences for I Love LA, which tracks the struggles of online personality Tallulah and ally who is also new talent manager Sennott’s character. Notably, the most significant presence on creative vision went to the HBO series, that HBO sitcom depicting an emerging Hollywood star succeeding in a corrupt Hollywood (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott discovered it during lockdown, became “captivated”, 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 says. The inspiration for this project came—in part—from firsthand, originally fractious, move to LA and from the saturn return, a much-talked-about phenomenon for enthusiasts. This represented a time that saw her grasp significant life lessons, professionally and personally. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she recalls. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Early Beginnings
Growing up in New England, Sennott began creating and acting humor while enrolled in acting at a prestigious arts school. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she explains. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “None of the university plays cast me either.” “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
She seized control, taking the stage at live shows with her friend and posting hysterical (and very) unconventional comedy videos online. One, titled Baby Cult, centered on a group of women intensely obsessed with pregnancy; a different one envisioned working at a trendy retail outlet as similar to being caught in a horror film. By chance, she met Emma through campus film circles and ended up starring in her initial project, Shiva Baby, a tense film set at a Jewish wake with echoes of Uncut Gems. A recurring idea of her career, she explains, has been peers supporting her, rather than the industry at large. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she repeats, adding with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”
Career Breakthrough
Individuals who questioned regarding her then will surely be regretting it now. As part of she labels a “incredibly circular” turn of events, she seems to have achieved an ideal role. Previously she uploaded a clip called on LA life on social media, in which she lampooned film promos (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Years later, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a show about LA residents juggling the perks of internet fame (such as socializing at a celebrity’s house) with drawbacks (your associate being suspected of being a drug-addled thief, and possibly becoming a unreliable persona non grata). Some could tempting to produce a program about digital influence that was horribly aspirational—or, more problematic, one that punched down at those depicted. This show does neither, resulting in a portrait of advantaged twentysomething existence that’s frank about the chaos and the glamour.
Nuanced Portrayal
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” she comments. “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