Rachel Sennott joins the digital interview and immediately begins an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, sounding genuinely remorseful. Although she's only a couple of minutes behind, she feels compelled to clarify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Luckily, in this context, that’s exactly what is ideal to encounter. Additionally, it’s pretty unsurprising. Those familiar with the unapologetically LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass film titled Bottoms—which Sennott collaborated on with the director and starred in with her friend The Bear’s standout—can already know that Sennott holds much to say, ranging from about identity, sex, or the merits of creating a high-school combat group. Furthermore, after watching her latest multi-episode program I Love LA, viewers realize that she holds further thoughts on the darker side of modern youth (Now in her thirties, she is a bridge to younger audiences, straddling eras skilled for bridging both generations).
Guiding Lights and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls can’t be avoided and the actress admits to being enthusiastic, citing the show together with the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as inspirations for her series, which details the travails of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion who is also aspiring agent portrayed by Sennott. However, the biggest spot on the moodboard belonged to Entourage, the show depicting an emerging celebrity making his way in a corrupt entertainment industry (memorable line: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She discovered it during the pandemic, became “hooked”, and chose to put her own twist on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she explains. The concept for the series originated—to some extent—from firsthand, at first rocky, move to LA and from the astrological phase, a much-talked-about occurrence for astrology heads. It was a time that saw her learn some big insights, in her career and individually. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she admits. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Starting Out
Growing up in the East Coast, Sennott began writing and performing comedy while enrolled in theatre at a prestigious arts school. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she explains. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “None of the university plays cast me either.” “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
Sennott decided to act independently, appearing at live shows with her friend and posting uproarious (and decidedly) bizarre comedy videos digitally. One, Baby Cult, followed characters intensely fixated on having babies; a different one imagined working at a trendy retail outlet as like being stuck in a horror film. By chance, she connected with Seligman through NYU’s movie community and ultimately starring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful film set at a funeral gathering with hints of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her path, she says, has been people her own age giving her a shot, rather than traditional networks. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, continuing amusedly: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Career Breakthrough
Individuals who were skeptical about her previously will certainly be kicking themselves currently. In what she calls a “wild, full-circle” turn of events, she seems to have achieved an ideal role. A few years back she shared content titled “it’s LA” online, in which she parodied movie previews (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Six years on, she’s a lead creator (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about Angelenos balancing benefits of digital stardom (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with drawbacks (your client being labeled as being a intoxicated criminal, and potentially becoming a unreliable pariah). One might tempting to create a program about internet celebrity that was horribly glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that belittled at those depicted. The series steers clear of each, creating a portrait of advantaged young adult life that’s honest about the grot and the glamour.
Empathetic Approach
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” she comments. “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
