The actress and writer discussing her side-splitting series depicting the chaotic glamour of today's youth existence
Rachel Sennott joins the video call and right away begins an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, sounding really regretful. Despite being only slightly delayed, she feels compelled 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!” Fortunately, in this context, that’s exactly what you want to hear. Besides, it’s quite predictable. Those familiar with the unapologetically LGBTQ+ and outspoken film titled Bottoms—that Sennott co-wrote with her creative partner and starred in with close companion The Bear’s standout—will already know that she holds plenty to share, be it about roles, intimacy, or the appeal of creating a youth fight club. Plus, after watching the recent eight-part program titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she holds further thoughts regarding the challenges of Gen Z life (As a millennial, Sennott serves as a relatable figure for this generation, a tale-end millennial adept for connecting both generations).
Guiding Lights and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show are inevitable and Sennott is an admirer, naming it together with Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as guides for her series, which tracks the travails of online personality Tallulah and ally and new agent portrayed by Sennott. However, the largest spot on creative vision belonged to Entourage, that program depicting an up-and-coming A-list actor making his way in an often-seedy LA scene (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott started watching it throughout the pandemic, became “hooked”, and decided to create a new version on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“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 emerged—in part—from personal, initially fractious, transition to Los Angeles and from the astrological phase, a popular event for enthusiasts. It was an era that saw her grasp significant truths, professionally and individually. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she recalls. “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
Raised in the East Coast, the star began writing and performing humor while enrolled in acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she says. “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. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
She took matters into her own hands, performing at open mics with Ayo and posting uproarious (and distinctly) bizarre skits on the internet. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, followed a group of women intensely fixated on having babies; a different one portrayed being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being caught in a horror film. Interestingly, she met Emma through campus film circles and eventually starring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a Jewish wake with shades of Uncut Gems. The central motif of her path, she notes, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, rather than the industry at large. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, adding amusedly: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Career Breakthrough
Individuals who had doubts about Sennott previously will certainly be kicking themselves today. Through she labels a “astonishingly complete” development, she appears to created the perfect project. Previously she uploaded a clip titled “it’s LA” online, in which she mocked film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with the co-writer) of a series about Angelenos balancing benefits of internet fame (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your client being labeled as being a intoxicated criminal, and possibly becoming a risky pariah). Some could easy to create a show about digital influence that was overly glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that belittled at those depicted. The series does neither, making for a portrait of advantaged young adult life that’s honest about the chaos and the glamour.
Nuanced Portrayal
“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