Rachel Sennott joins the digital interview and at once begins an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, sounding truly apologetic. Although she's only a couple of minutes behind, she needs to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Luckily, for a writer, this is just what is ideal to hear. Additionally, it’s pretty expected. Viewers who have seen her unapologetically LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass movie Bottoms—that she collaborated on with the director and appeared in alongside her friend the talented actress—can understand that Sennott possesses a lot to share, whether about roles, intimacy, or the pros of starting a youth brawl society. Plus, once you finish her latest eight-part program titled I Love LA, viewers realize that she holds additional insights on the challenges of modern youth (At 30, Sennott represents a bridge for this generation, on the cusp skilled for bridging different age groups).
Guiding Lights and Creative Vision
The comparisons to the iconic series Girls can’t be avoided and Sennott admits to being an admirer, citing it in addition to Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and the innovative program as influences for her series, which follows the travails of online personality Tallulah and her friend who is also aspiring talent manager portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the biggest presence on concept went to Entourage, that HBO sitcom about an emerging celebrity navigating in an often-seedy entertainment industry (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She began viewing it during COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and resolved to add a fresh perspective 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 notes. The inspiration for this project originated—in part—from firsthand, initially fractious, transition to Tinseltown and from her cosmic event, a frequently discussed event for astrology heads. That period marked an era that included her understand major life lessons, professionally and in private life. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she says. “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 …”
Early Beginnings
Brought up in Connecticut, the star started developing and showcasing stand-up while pursuing acting at a prestigious arts school. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she says. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
She decided to act independently, appearing at open mics with Edebiri and posting hilarious (and distinctly) bizarre comedy videos on the internet. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, followed characters obsessively fixated on having babies; a different one envisioned being employed at a trendy retail outlet as similar to being trapped in a thriller. In a neat twist of fate, she connected with Emma through NYU’s movie community and ultimately starring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a religious event with hints of Uncut Gems. The central motif of her path, she notes, has been people her own age offering opportunities, as opposed to traditional networks. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, stating with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”
Career Breakthrough
Individuals who had doubts about Sennott earlier will surely be kicking themselves now. In what she labels a “wild, full-circle” turn of events, she seems to have manifested the perfect project. In 2019 she uploaded a clip titled about Los Angeles online, in which she lampooned film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Years later, she’s the co-showrunner (with the co-writer) of a series about LA residents juggling advantages of internet fame (such as socializing at a celebrity’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being labeled as being a drug-addled stealer, and possibly becoming a risky pariah). It would be simple to produce a series about internet celebrity that was extremely idealized—or, worse, one that punched down at its subjects. The series avoids both, creating a depiction of privileged young adult life that’s honest about the grot and the appeal.
Balanced Perspective
“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” 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
