Rachel Sennott discussing her side-splitting comedy depicting that messy glamour of today's youth life
The star enters the video call and right away launches into an excuse. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, seeming really apologetic. Despite being only slightly behind, she needs to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Thankfully, in this context, this is just what you want to experience. Moreover, it’s quite unsurprising. Anyone who have seen her unapologetically queer and outspoken film titled Bottoms—which Sennott penned with the director and appeared in with collaborator The Bear’s standout—will understand that she has much to share, be it about roles, sex, or the appeal of creating a high-school brawl society. And, by the end the recent multi-episode HBO series I Love LA, viewers realize that she carries even more perspectives regarding the darker side of young adulthood (At 30, she serves as a relatable figure for this generation, on the cusp with a knack for bridging millennials and Gen Z).
Guiding Lights and Artistic Direction
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s Girls are inevitable and the actress is a fan, referencing the show alongside Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as guides for I Love LA, which follows the struggles of online personality Tallulah and ally and new agent Sennott’s character. Notably, the biggest spot on creative vision belonged to Entourage, that HBO sitcom depicting a rising A-list actor making his way in a corrupt Hollywood (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott started watching it amid COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and resolved to add a fresh perspective on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she notes. The idea for this project came—in part—from firsthand, at first difficult, transition to Tinseltown and from the astrological phase, a much-talked-about occurrence for followers. It was an era that saw her grasp major insights, work-wise and individually. “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 resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Early Beginnings
Growing up in New England, the star commenced creating and acting humor while enrolled in acting at a prestigious arts school. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she explains. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “None of the university plays cast me either.” “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
She seized control, performing at live shows with Ayo and sharing hilarious (and very) weird comedy videos digitally. A particular video, Baby Cult, centered on several females obsessively obsessed with motherhood; a different one imagined working at a trendy retail outlet as similar to being trapped in a scary movie. Interestingly, she connected with Seligman through campus film circles and ultimately appearing in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful film set at a religious event with echoes of Uncut Gems. The central motif of her path, she notes, has been peers offering opportunities, instead of the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she repeats, stating amusedly: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Career Breakthrough
Individuals who had doubts about her previously will surely be regretting it now. In what she describes as a “incredibly circular” turn of events, she seems to have created an ideal role. Previously she uploaded a video titled on LA life on the internet, in which she lampooned film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with her partner) of a show about city dwellers juggling the perks of online celebrity (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with drawbacks (your friend being labeled as being a substance-abusing thief, and potentially becoming a risky outcast). It would be tempting to make a program about online fame that was extremely aspirational—or, even less favorable, one that belittled at the characters. This show steers clear of each, resulting in a representation of privileged millennial life that’s frank about the chaos and the appeal.
Balanced Perspective
“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