Rachel Sennott appears on the video call and at once starts an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, appearing genuinely remorseful. Despite being only a bit 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, for a writer, this is precisely what you want to encounter. Besides, it’s fairly predictable. Those who know the unapologetically LGBTQ+ and brash project titled Bottoms—that she co-wrote with her creative partner and appeared in alongside her friend Ayo Edebiri—will understand that Sennott has much to discuss, ranging from on roles, intimacy, or the merits of forming a teen combat group. And, by the end the latest multi-episode HBO series I Love LA, it is clear that she has further thoughts regarding the darker side of young adulthood (As a millennial, Sennott serves as a bridge to younger audiences, a tale-end millennial with a knack for connecting both generations).
Inspirations and Creative Vision
The comparisons to the iconic series Girls can’t be avoided and Sennott readily acknowledges a fan, naming it alongside the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and Donald Glover’s series as influences for I Love LA, which follows the journey of a social media star Tallulah and close companion who is also new talent manager Sennott’s character. However, the largest influence on creative vision belonged to Entourage, the program depicting an emerging Hollywood star navigating in an often-seedy Hollywood (memorable line: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott started watching it during 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 notes. The idea for this project came—partly—from firsthand, initially rocky, relocation to Los Angeles and from her astrological phase, a frequently discussed occurrence for astrology heads. That period marked a time that involved her learn major insights, professionally and in private life. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she recalls. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Humble Origins
Raised in New England, the star began writing and performing comedy while enrolled in 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.” I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at amateur nights with her friend and uploading uproarious (and decidedly) unconventional online content digitally. One, titled Baby Cult, followed a group of women obsessively drawn to pregnancy; a different one envisioned working at the brand Hollister as akin to being caught in a thriller. In a neat twist of fate, she met Emma through NYU’s movie community and ended up featuring in her first film, Shiva Baby, a tense film set at a religious event with shades of Uncut Gems. The central motif of her career, she notes, has been peers giving her a shot, as opposed to established gatekeepers. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, stating with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”
Manifesting Dreams
Those who questioned regarding Sennott earlier will likely be feeling foolish currently. As part of she calls a “astonishingly complete” story, she appears to achieved her dream vehicle. In 2019 she posted content titled about Los Angeles on social media, in which she lampooned film promos (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a comedy about Angelenos balancing advantages of internet fame (such as partying at a famous actor’s house) with drawbacks (your associate being suspected of being a intoxicated stealer, and potentially becoming a unreliable persona non grata). One might simple to produce a show about online fame that was extremely aspirational—or, more problematic, one that mocked at the characters. This show avoids both, creating a representation of affluent young adult life that’s frank about the grot 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
