Rachel Sennott joins the video call and right away begins an excuse. “Apologies for the delay!” she says, seeming genuinely regretful. She is only slightly late, she needs to clarify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Luckily, in this context, this is just what you want to experience. Moreover, it’s quite predictable. Those who have seen her unapologetically LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass project Bottoms—which Sennott collaborated on with her creative partner and featured in alongside her friend The Bear’s standout—can understand that she holds a lot to say, ranging from on roles, intimacy, or the appeal of starting a teen fight club. And, once you finish her recent multi-episode program I Love LA, it is clear that she holds additional thoughts regarding the challenges of modern youth (At 30, Sennott serves as an honorary member of the gang, on the cusp with a knack for bridging both generations).
Influences and Storytelling Approach
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s Girls can’t be avoided and the actress admits to being a fan, naming the show alongside Sex and the City, Insecure and Atlanta as inspirations for her series, which details the journey of an influencer Tallulah and close companion and new agent portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the largest influence on concept was reserved for the popular sitcom, that HBO sitcom about an emerging A-list actor navigating in an often-seedy Hollywood (memorable line: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott discovered it throughout lockdown, became “captivated”, and decided to create a new version 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 notes. The inspiration for this project emerged—partly—from firsthand, at first rocky, transition to LA and from her cosmic event, a frequently discussed phenomenon for astrology heads. This represented a phase that included her grasp significant life lessons, work-wise and personally. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she admits. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Humble Origins
Brought up in New England, Sennott started creating and acting humor while studying performance at NYU’s Tisch. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she states. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, appearing at live shows with Ayo and uploading hysterical (and distinctly) weird comedy videos digitally. A particular video, Baby Cult, depicted characters fetishistically drawn to motherhood; a different one portrayed working at a trendy retail outlet as like being trapped in a horror film. In a neat twist of fate, she encountered Emma through campus film circles and ended up starring in her initial project, Shiva Baby, a stressful comedy set at a funeral gathering with echoes of Uncut Gems. A recurring idea of her path, she notes, has been peers giving her a shot, as opposed to traditional networks. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, stating with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”
Career Breakthrough
Those who had doubts regarding Sennott then will likely be kicking themselves currently. Through she labels a “incredibly circular” story, she has created her dream vehicle. A few years back she shared a clip called “it’s LA” online, in which she parodied film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with her partner) of a comedy about LA residents managing the perks of online celebrity (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your client being suspected of being a drug-addled criminal, and perhaps becoming a unreliable persona non grata). It would be simple to make a series about internet celebrity that was overly glamorous—or, more problematic, one that mocked at those depicted. The series does neither, creating a representation of advantaged young adult life that’s candid about the chaos 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
