Rachel Sennott joins the digital interview and immediately launches into an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she states, sounding genuinely regretful. Despite being only a couple of minutes late, she feels compelled to justify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Thankfully, during an interview, this is exactly what is ideal to encounter. Moreover, it’s pretty unsurprising. Anyone who have seen her boldly openly gay and unapologetically crass movie titled Bottoms—that she penned with her creative partner and starred in together with close companion the talented actress—can understand that Sennott has plenty to say, ranging from about roles, sex, or the pros of starting a youth combat group. Plus, after watching her recent seasonal program I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she holds even more perspectives on the challenges of Gen Z life (At 30, Sennott serves as a relatable figure of the gang, a tale-end millennial skilled for straddling millennials and Gen Z).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s Girls are inevitable and the actress readily acknowledges a fan, naming it alongside the classic series, the acclaimed comedy and Donald Glover’s series as guides for her series, which details the struggles of online personality Tallulah and ally and aspiring agent Maia. Perhaps, the biggest presence on concept went to the popular sitcom, that show focusing on an up-and-coming Hollywood star making his way in a gritty Hollywood (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott started watching it amid lockdown, became “hooked”, and chose to put her own twist on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she explains. The inspiration for the series originated—partly—from her own, originally difficult, move to Tinseltown and from her cosmic event, a frequently discussed occurrence for astrology heads. That period marked a time that saw her understand significant truths, work-wise and individually. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” 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…”
Starting Out
Growing up in New England, Sennott commenced creating and acting comedy while pursuing theatre at NYU’s Tisch. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she states. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “None of the university plays cast me either.” “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
She took matters into her own hands, performing at amateur nights with her friend and posting uproarious (and very) bizarre online content digitally. A particular video, Baby Cult, followed characters intensely fixated on motherhood; another envisioned being employed at the brand Hollister as akin to being stuck in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she encountered Emma through the university’s film scene and eventually starring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, a tense film set at a Jewish wake with hints of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her path, she says, has been people her own age offering opportunities, rather than the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, continuing amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Individuals who had doubts regarding her earlier will surely be kicking themselves today. In what she describes as a “wild, full-circle” turn of events, she seems to have created the perfect project. A few years back she posted a video called “it’s LA” on social media, in which she mocked movie previews (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about city dwellers managing the perks of digital stardom (such as socializing at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your associate being accused of being a drug-addled stealer, and perhaps becoming a risky persona non grata). Some could easy to make a series about digital influence that was overly aspirational—or, even less favorable, one that mocked at those depicted. The series does neither, making for a depiction of privileged young adult living that’s frank about the chaos 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 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
