Rachel Sennott enters the video call and right away begins an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, sounding really remorseful. Although she's only a bit 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!” Fortunately, for a writer, that’s just what you want to hear. Besides, it’s quite unsurprising. Those who have seen her fearlessly openly gay and outspoken film titled Bottoms—that she collaborated on with her creative partner and starred in with her friend Ayo Edebiri—will understand that she holds a lot to say, be it on gender, sex, or the appeal of forming a high-school combat group. And, by the end the new seasonal program I Love LA, viewers realize that the star has further thoughts regarding the struggles of modern youth (As a millennial, Sennott serves as an honorary member to younger audiences, straddling eras with a knack for connecting both generations).
Inspirations and Creative Vision
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show can’t be avoided and the actress readily acknowledges an admirer, referencing the show alongside the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as influences for the project, which follows the struggles of a social media star Tallulah and close companion and fledgling talent manager portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the largest spot on creative vision belonged to the popular sitcom, the program focusing on an up-and-coming A-list actor making his way in an often-seedy Hollywood (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott started watching it amid lockdown, became “hooked”, and chose 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 concept for the series emerged—to some extent—from personal, initially difficult, transition to Tinseltown and from her cosmic event, a much-talked-about occurrence for followers. That period marked a time that involved her grasp significant truths, work-wise and personally. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she says. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Early Beginnings
Brought up in Connecticut, Sennott commenced writing and performing stand-up while pursuing theatre at a prestigious arts school. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she explains. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “None of the university plays cast me either.” And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She took matters into her own hands, appearing at live shows with Ayo and posting hysterical (and very) bizarre skits online. A particular video, Baby Cult, centered on characters fetishistically drawn to pregnancy; a different one portrayed being employed at a trendy retail outlet as like being caught in a horror film. Interestingly, she encountered Emma through NYU’s movie community and eventually featuring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a religious event with hints of the Safdie brothers’ movie. A recurring idea of her career, she notes, has been people her own age offering opportunities, as opposed to established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she emphasizes, adding humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Anyone who were skeptical regarding Sennott earlier will surely be kicking themselves currently. In what she describes as a “incredibly circular” story, she appears to manifested the perfect project. A few years back she uploaded a clip titled about Los Angeles online, in which she parodied movie previews (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a series about city dwellers managing advantages of online celebrity (such as socializing at a celebrity’s house) with drawbacks (your client being labeled as being a substance-abusing stealer, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” pariah). Some could tempting to produce a show about online fame that was overly idealized—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at those depicted. The series avoids both, resulting in a depiction of affluent millennial living that’s candid about the mess and the appeal.
Nuanced Portrayal
“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” 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
