Rachel Sennott joins the video call and immediately launches into an apology. “Apologies for the delay!” she says, sounding really apologetic. Despite being only slightly delayed, she wants to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Fortunately, in this context, that’s just what you want to hear. Moreover, it’s fairly expected. Viewers familiar with the unapologetically queer and unapologetically crass film titled Bottoms—which she co-wrote with Emma Seligman and starred in alongside close companion The Bear’s standout—will already know that she has much to discuss, be it on identity, relationships, or the merits of creating a high-school combat group. And, after watching her recent multi-episode HBO series titled I Love LA, viewers realize that she carries even more perspectives on the challenges of modern youth (At 30, she serves as a bridge of the gang, straddling eras adept for bridging both generations).
Influences and Artistic Direction
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and Sennott readily acknowledges enthusiastic, referencing the show alongside the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and Donald Glover’s series as inspirations for her series, which tracks the struggles of a social media star Tallulah and her friend and aspiring agent portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the largest presence on the moodboard belonged to the HBO series, the program depicting an up-and-coming celebrity succeeding in a gritty LA scene (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott began viewing it amid COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and chose to add a fresh perspective on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she explains. The concept for the series originated—in part—from firsthand, originally difficult, move to Los Angeles and from her saturn return, a popular phenomenon for followers. This represented a time that involved her understand significant life lessons, work-wise and in private life. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she admits. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Starting Out
Brought up in the East Coast, Sennott started creating and acting humor while enrolled in acting 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.” “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
Sennott seized control, appearing at amateur nights with Ayo and uploading hysterical (and distinctly) unconventional comedy videos online. One, Baby Cult, centered on several females obsessively obsessed with motherhood; another envisioned working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being stuck in a scary movie. Interestingly, she met Emma through NYU’s movie community and ended up featuring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, a tense film set at a funeral gathering with echoes of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her journey, she notes, has been peers supporting her, rather than the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she repeats, adding with a laugh: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Those who were skeptical about Sennott then will likely be feeling foolish now. As part of she labels a “astonishingly complete” turn of events, she appears to manifested an ideal role. Previously she uploaded a video titled about Los Angeles on the internet, in which she lampooned film promos (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a comedy about city dwellers juggling the perks of internet fame (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with downsides (your client being suspected of being a intoxicated stealer, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). One might simple to make a program about internet celebrity that was extremely glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at its subjects. The series avoids both, resulting in a depiction of affluent young adult existence that’s frank about the chaos and the appeal.
Balanced Perspective
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” she observes. “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
