Rachel Sennott appears on the digital interview and immediately launches into an explanation. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, seeming truly apologetic. Despite being only slightly behind, she feels compelled to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Luckily, for a writer, this is precisely what one hopes to encounter. Besides, it’s fairly unsurprising. Those who have seen her fearlessly queer and outspoken movie Bottoms—that Sennott penned with the director and featured in together with close companion the talented actress—would understand that Sennott possesses plenty to say, ranging from about identity, sex, or the merits of starting a teen brawl society. Furthermore, by the end her latest eight-part HBO series titled I Love LA, viewers realize that the star has even more insights regarding the struggles of Gen Z life (As a millennial, she represents a relatable figure of the gang, a tale-end millennial adept for connecting millennials and Gen Z).
Guiding Lights and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and the actress is an admirer, citing the show alongside Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as influences for the project, which details the travails of a social media star Tallulah and ally who is also fledgling talent manager portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the most significant influence on the moodboard went to the popular sitcom, that HBO sitcom depicting an up-and-coming A-list actor navigating in an often-seedy Hollywood (memorable line: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott started watching it throughout lockdown, became “hooked”, and decided to add a fresh perspective 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 idea for this project originated—to some extent—from firsthand, originally fractious, move to Los Angeles and from the astrological phase, a frequently discussed occurrence for enthusiasts. That period marked a phase that involved her learn major truths, in her career and in private life. “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. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Humble Origins
Growing up in Connecticut, Sennott commenced creating and acting stand-up while pursuing acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she states. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “None of the university plays cast me either.” “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
She took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at amateur nights with Ayo and uploading uproarious (and distinctly) weird skits digitally. One, Baby Cult, followed a group of women obsessively drawn to having babies; a different one imagined being employed at the brand Hollister as like being caught in a thriller. In a neat twist of fate, she encountered Seligman through the university’s film scene and eventually appearing in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a religious event with shades of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her career, she says, has been people her own age offering opportunities, rather than established gatekeepers. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, continuing amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”
Manifesting Dreams
Those who were skeptical about her earlier will likely be regretting it today. In what she calls a “astonishingly complete” development, she appears to achieved her dream vehicle. Previously she posted a video titled on LA life on the internet, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with the co-writer) of a series about LA residents balancing the perks of online celebrity (such as socializing at a famous actor’s house) with downsides (your client being suspected of being a intoxicated stealer, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). One might tempting to make a series about online fame that was overly aspirational—or, worse, one that punched down at the characters. The series does neither, creating a representation of affluent millennial existence that’s candid about the grot and the glamour.
Balanced Perspective
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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
