Rachel Sennott appears on the digital interview and at once starts an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, seeming genuinely regretful. Despite being only slightly late, she wants 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!” Luckily, during an interview, that’s precisely what is ideal to experience. Besides, it’s fairly unsurprising. Those who know the fearlessly queer and unapologetically crass film Bottoms—which she co-wrote with Emma Seligman and appeared in alongside close companion the talented actress—would already know that she possesses a lot to say, be it about roles, relationships, or the merits of forming a high-school brawl society. Furthermore, once you finish the recent multi-episode show I Love LA, it is clear that she carries further thoughts on the struggles of young adulthood (As a millennial, Sennott is a relatable figure to younger audiences, straddling eras adept for connecting different age groups).
Influences and Creative Vision
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and the actress is enthusiastic, naming the show together with Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and Donald Glover’s series as inspirations for her series, which tracks the travails of an influencer Tallulah and ally who is also fledgling representative Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the biggest presence on creative vision was reserved for the popular sitcom, that show about a rising Hollywood star succeeding in a gritty LA scene (notable statement: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She started watching it during lockdown, became “hooked”, and decided to create a new version on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she says. The concept for this project emerged—to some extent—from personal, at first fractious, relocation to LA and from her astrological phase, a popular phenomenon for followers. That period marked an era that included her learn major insights, professionally and individually. “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. It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Starting Out
Brought up in Connecticut, Sennott commenced writing and performing humor while enrolled in acting at NYU’s Tisch. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” 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. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at live shows with Edebiri and uploading hilarious (and decidedly) weird skits digitally. One, titled Baby Cult, depicted several females intensely drawn to having babies; a different one imagined working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being trapped in a thriller. In a neat twist of fate, she connected with Seligman through the university’s film scene and eventually starring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a stressful comedy set at a Jewish wake with hints of Uncut Gems. The central motif of her path, she explains, has been peers supporting her, as opposed to the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she confirms, continuing amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Those who had doubts about her then will surely be regretting it now. In what she labels a “wild, full-circle” development, she has created an ideal role. A few years back she posted content titled “it’s LA” on social media, in which she parodied movie previews (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Years later, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about LA residents managing benefits of internet fame (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with downsides (your friend being accused of being a intoxicated criminal, and possibly becoming a risky outcast). Some could tempting to produce a series about digital influence that was overly idealized—or, worse, one that punched down at its subjects. I Love LA steers clear of each, creating a representation of advantaged young adult living that’s candid about the grot and the appeal.
Balanced Perspective
“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
