The actress and writer on her uproarious series depicting the chaotic appeal of younger generation lifestyle
Rachel Sennott appears on the online meeting and right away launches into an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, seeming genuinely remorseful. She is only slightly delayed, she wants to justify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, in this context, that’s precisely what is ideal to hear. Additionally, it’s fairly predictable. Viewers who have seen the fearlessly queer and outspoken project titled Bottoms—which Sennott co-wrote with the director and starred in together with close companion Ayo Edebiri—will understand that Sennott possesses plenty to share, ranging from about identity, sex, or the merits of creating a youth combat group. Furthermore, once you finish the recent multi-episode show I Love LA, viewers realize that the star holds additional insights regarding the challenges of young adulthood (At 30, Sennott is a bridge of the gang, a tale-end millennial skilled for connecting both generations).
Inspirations and Creative Vision
The comparisons to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and Sennott admits to being enthusiastic, referencing the show in addition to Sex and the City, Insecure and Atlanta as inspirations for her series, which follows the travails of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion who is also fledgling representative portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the biggest presence on the moodboard belonged to the popular sitcom, the show depicting a rising A-list actor making his way in a corrupt LA scene (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott discovered it during COVID-19, became “captivated”, and resolved to add a fresh perspective 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 explains. The inspiration for this project originated—partly—from personal, originally rocky, transition to Los Angeles and from the astrological phase, a popular event for followers. This represented a phase that saw her learn some big life lessons, work-wise and individually. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she recalls. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Humble Origins
Raised in the East Coast, Sennott commenced developing and showcasing comedy while enrolled in acting at a prestigious arts school. “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, performing at live shows with Edebiri and uploading hilarious (and decidedly) unconventional skits digitally. One, titled Baby Cult, centered on a group of women fetishistically fixated on having babies; a different one portrayed working at the brand Hollister as like being caught in a scary movie. Interestingly, she encountered Emma through the university’s film scene and eventually appearing in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a religious event with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The big theme of her journey, she says, has been peers offering opportunities, instead of the industry at large. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, adding amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”
Career Breakthrough
Individuals who had doubts about Sennott earlier will surely be feeling foolish now. Through she describes as a “incredibly circular” story, she seems to have manifested the perfect project. In 2019 she uploaded content titled on LA life online, in which she mocked film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a series about LA residents managing the perks of internet fame (such as socializing at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your friend being accused of being a intoxicated thief, and possibly becoming a unreliable persona non grata). It would be easy to make a series about internet celebrity that was horribly glamorous—or, more problematic, one that belittled at those depicted. I Love LA does neither, resulting in a depiction of privileged twentysomething life that’s frank about the chaos and the appeal.
Nuanced Portrayal
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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
