Rachel Sennott joins the online meeting and at once begins an apology. “Apologies for the delay!” she exclaims, appearing genuinely apologetic. Although she's only a couple of minutes delayed, she needs 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!” Fortunately, for a writer, this is exactly what is ideal to hear. Additionally, it’s pretty unsurprising. Anyone who know the unapologetically openly gay and brash movie Bottoms—which she co-wrote with Emma Seligman and featured in together with collaborator the talented actress—would already know that Sennott has a lot to say, be it on identity, sex, or the pros of forming a youth brawl society. Furthermore, once you finish her new multi-episode program I Love LA, it is clear that she carries further insights on the struggles of Gen Z life (At 30, Sennott is a bridge of the gang, a tale-end millennial with a knack for connecting millennials and Gen Z).
Guiding Lights and Creative Vision
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show can’t be avoided and Sennott readily acknowledges an admirer, citing it together with the classic series, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as inspirations for the project, which details the struggles of a social media star Tallulah and her friend and new talent manager portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the largest presence on creative vision belonged to the popular sitcom, the show depicting an up-and-coming celebrity making his way in an often-seedy entertainment industry (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott started watching it throughout COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and decided to create a new version on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she says. The inspiration for this project originated—to some extent—from personal, at first fractious, move to Tinseltown and from her saturn return, a popular phenomenon for enthusiasts. That period marked a phase that saw her learn major truths, in her career and personally. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she recalls. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Humble Origins
Raised in the East Coast, Sennott commenced developing and showcasing comedy while studying acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she states. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She decided to act independently, appearing at amateur nights with Edebiri and sharing hilarious (and decidedly) bizarre comedy videos online. A particular video, Baby Cult, depicted several females intensely obsessed with having babies; a different one envisioned being employed at the brand Hollister as like being trapped in a horror film. In a neat twist of fate, she met Emma through the university’s film scene and ultimately featuring in her first film, Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a Jewish wake with shades of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her career, she explains, has been peers offering opportunities, instead of the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “They were not involved”, she repeats, continuing with a laugh: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Individuals who questioned regarding her then will likely be kicking themselves now. In what she describes as a “incredibly circular” development, she has manifested her dream vehicle. In 2019 she posted a clip called “it’s LA” online, in which she lampooned film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with her partner) of a show about Angelenos managing benefits of internet fame (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with its pitfalls (your client being labeled as being a intoxicated criminal, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). One might tempting to create a show about internet celebrity that was horribly aspirational—or, worse, one that mocked at the characters. This show avoids both, creating a portrait of advantaged twentysomething life that’s honest about the chaos and the shine.
Nuanced Portrayal
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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
