The actress and writer on the side-splitting series portraying the chaotic glamour of Gen Z lifestyle
Rachel Sennott enters the online meeting and immediately starts an excuse. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, appearing truly apologetic. She is only slightly late, she needs to clarify. “My phone conversations always run long.” I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Fortunately, in this context, that’s just what is ideal to encounter. Besides, it’s fairly expected. Viewers who know her boldly openly gay and brash project titled Bottoms—that she penned with her creative partner and appeared in together with her friend Ayo Edebiri—can understand that Sennott holds much to discuss, ranging from on identity, relationships, or the pros of forming a teen combat group. And, after watching the recent seasonal HBO series titled I Love LA, it is clear that she carries further insights about the struggles of young adulthood (As a millennial, Sennott is a relatable figure for this generation, straddling eras with a knack for connecting different age groups).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and Sennott is enthusiastic, referencing it in addition to the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as inspirations for her series, which tracks the struggles of an influencer Tallulah and her friend and new representative Sennott’s character. Notably, the largest spot on creative vision belonged to Entourage, the program depicting a rising Hollywood star navigating in a gritty entertainment industry (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She discovered it throughout the pandemic, became “hooked”, 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 notes. The inspiration for this project originated—to some extent—from firsthand, initially fractious, transition to Los Angeles and from her saturn return, a frequently discussed phenomenon for followers. That period marked a phase that saw her grasp some big insights, work-wise and in private life. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she recalls. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Starting Out
Raised in Connecticut, Sennott commenced developing and showcasing stand-up while enrolled in theatre at NYU’s Tisch. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she says. “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.”
She seized control, taking the stage at open mics with Ayo and uploading hysterical (and very) unconventional comedy videos online. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, centered on characters fetishistically fixated on motherhood; another imagined working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being caught in a scary movie. Interestingly, she connected with Emma through NYU’s movie community and ultimately featuring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a funeral gathering with hints of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her journey, she explains, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, as opposed to traditional networks. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she repeats, stating humorously: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Rising Success
Individuals who were skeptical regarding her then will surely be regretting it currently. As part of she describes as a “astonishingly complete” turn of events, she has achieved her dream vehicle. In 2019 she posted content titled “it’s LA” on social media, in which she parodied movie previews (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Years later, she’s the co-showrunner (with the co-writer) of a comedy about Angelenos juggling advantages of digital stardom (such as partying at a famous actor’s house) with drawbacks (your client being suspected of being a drug-addled thief, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). Some could simple to make a show about internet celebrity that was horribly glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that belittled at the characters. I Love LA does neither, creating a depiction of affluent millennial existence that’s frank about the chaos and the appeal.
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
