Rachel Sennott joins the digital interview and right away launches into an excuse. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, seeming genuinely remorseful. She is only a couple of minutes late, she needs to clarify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Fortunately, during an interview, that’s exactly what is ideal to hear. Additionally, it’s pretty unsurprising. Those familiar with the boldly queer and outspoken movie Bottoms—which Sennott penned with the director and starred in alongside her friend The Bear’s standout—would already know that she holds plenty to share, ranging from about gender, sex, or the pros of starting a teen brawl society. Plus, by the end the new multi-episode HBO series I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star carries additional insights about the challenges of young adulthood (As a millennial, Sennott represents a relatable figure of the gang, on the cusp adept for connecting millennials and Gen Z).
Guiding Lights and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and Sennott readily acknowledges an admirer, referencing the show in addition to Sex and the City, Insecure and Atlanta as inspirations for the project, which follows the struggles of online personality Tallulah and her friend and aspiring talent manager portrayed by Sennott. However, the biggest spot on creative vision belonged to Entourage, that show depicting a rising celebrity succeeding in a gritty LA scene (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott discovered it throughout lockdown, became “hooked”, and chose 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 says. The idea for the series emerged—to some extent—from firsthand, at first rocky, move to LA and from her astrological phase, a much-talked-about event for enthusiasts. It was a phase that included her grasp significant insights, work-wise and personally. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she admits. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Starting Out
Raised in New England, the star began creating and acting humor while enrolled in performance at NYU’s Tisch. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she says. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “None of the university plays cast me either.” “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
Sennott seized control, taking the stage at amateur nights with Edebiri and uploading hilarious (and very) bizarre skits online. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, followed several females fetishistically drawn to having babies; another imagined working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being trapped in a scary movie. Interestingly, she connected with Seligman through the university’s film scene and eventually starring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a funeral gathering with hints of the intense thriller. The big theme of her career, she explains, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, instead of the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, continuing with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”
Rising Success
Anyone who had doubts regarding her then will likely be regretting it today. In what she describes as a “astonishingly complete” development, she seems to have achieved an ideal role. Previously she uploaded a clip called on LA life online, in which she lampooned movie previews (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a series about Angelenos managing advantages of digital stardom (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with drawbacks (your client being accused of being a intoxicated criminal, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). One might easy to produce a series about digital influence that was extremely glamorous—or, worse, one that mocked at those depicted. The series steers clear of each, creating a portrait of privileged young adult life that’s frank about the grot and the glamour.
Nuanced Portrayal
“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
