Rachel Sennott appears on the online meeting and at once starts an excuse. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, appearing truly apologetic. Although she's only a bit behind, she wants to explain. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Thankfully, during an interview, this is precisely what you want to experience. Besides, it’s fairly predictable. Anyone familiar with the fearlessly openly gay and unapologetically crass film titled Bottoms—that she penned with her creative partner and featured in together with collaborator the talented actress—can be aware that she holds much to say, be it about identity, relationships, or the merits of forming a youth fight club. Plus, by the end her recent seasonal program titled I Love LA, viewers realize that she has additional thoughts on the darker side of young adulthood (At 30, Sennott represents a relatable figure to younger audiences, on the cusp skilled for straddling millennials and Gen Z).
Influences and Creative Vision
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show can’t be avoided and the actress readily acknowledges a fan, naming the show alongside the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and Donald Glover’s series as inspirations for the project, which details the journey of online personality Tallulah and close companion and fledgling agent Maia. Perhaps, the largest spot on the moodboard belonged to the HBO series, that HBO sitcom depicting an up-and-coming Hollywood star making his way in a gritty LA scene (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She started watching it throughout lockdown, became “hooked”, and chose to put her own twist on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she notes. The concept for this project came—in part—from firsthand, initially difficult, move to Tinseltown and from her astrological phase, a popular phenomenon for enthusiasts. It was a phase that involved her understand major life lessons, professionally and personally. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she says. “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 the East Coast, Sennott commenced creating and acting stand-up while studying performance 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. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
Sennott seized control, performing at amateur nights with her friend and sharing uproarious (and distinctly) bizarre comedy videos on the internet. A particular video, Baby Cult, followed characters obsessively obsessed with pregnancy; a different one envisioned being employed at the brand Hollister as like being trapped in a horror film. By chance, she connected with Emma through the university’s film scene and eventually starring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a tense comedy set at a funeral gathering with shades of the intense thriller. The big theme of her journey, she says, has been contemporaries supporting her, instead of established gatekeepers. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, stating with a laugh: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Rising Success
Anyone who were skeptical about Sennott previously will certainly be regretting it now. As part of she calls a “incredibly circular” story, she has achieved the perfect project. A few years back she uploaded a clip called on LA life on the internet, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Six years on, she’s a lead creator (with Emma Barrie) of a series about Angelenos juggling benefits of digital stardom (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your friend being labeled as being a drug-addled stealer, and perhaps becoming a unreliable persona non grata). One might simple to make a program about online fame that was horribly aspirational—or, more problematic, one that mocked at those depicted. The series steers clear of each, making for a depiction of privileged twentysomething life that’s honest about the mess and the appeal.
Empathetic Approach
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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
