Rachel Sennott discussing the hilarious comedy portraying the chaotic glamour of younger generation lifestyle
The star joins the online meeting and right away begins an excuse. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she states, appearing genuinely remorseful. She is only a couple of minutes late, she wants to clarify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Luckily, for a writer, this is just what one hopes to encounter. Additionally, it’s fairly unsurprising. Those familiar with the fearlessly LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass project Bottoms—that Sennott penned with the director and starred in with collaborator the talented actress—would understand that she holds much to discuss, be it on roles, relationships, or the merits of forming a teen brawl society. And, after watching her latest seasonal program titled I Love LA, viewers realize that she has additional thoughts about the struggles of Gen Z life (Now in her thirties, she is an honorary member for this generation, on the cusp adept for straddling different age groups).
Guiding Lights and Artistic Direction
Parallels to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and Sennott admits to being enthusiastic, naming it in addition to the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and the innovative program as inspirations for her series, which details the travails of a social media star Tallulah and her friend and new talent manager portrayed by Sennott. However, the largest influence on the moodboard belonged to Entourage, the program depicting an up-and-coming A-list actor succeeding in a corrupt entertainment industry (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She began viewing it throughout COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and resolved to create a new version on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she says. The concept for the series emerged—in part—from personal, initially fractious, move to Los Angeles and from her cosmic event, a popular phenomenon for astrology heads. It was a phase that involved her learn major life lessons, professionally and individually. “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 was almost like these biblical tests …”
Humble Origins
Brought up in Connecticut, Sennott began writing and performing comedy while pursuing acting at NYU’s Tisch. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she explains. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
Sennott decided to act independently, performing at live shows with her friend and sharing hilarious (and decidedly) weird comedy videos digitally. One, Baby Cult, centered on several females intensely fixated on motherhood; another imagined being employed at a trendy retail outlet as like being trapped in a thriller. By chance, she met Seligman through campus film circles and ended up starring in her initial project, Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a funeral gathering with hints of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her journey, she explains, has been people her own age giving her a shot, rather than established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, continuing humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Anyone who had doubts about her previously will surely be feeling foolish currently. In what she labels a “incredibly circular” development, she appears to manifested her dream vehicle. Previously she uploaded content named on LA life online, in which she mocked film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about city dwellers balancing the perks of internet fame (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with drawbacks (your client being suspected of being a intoxicated criminal, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” pariah). It would be tempting to make a program about digital influence that was overly aspirational—or, more problematic, one that mocked at those depicted. This show does neither, resulting in a portrait of privileged twentysomething life that’s honest about the mess and the shine.
Nuanced Portrayal
“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
