Rachel Sennott appears on the video call and right away starts an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, appearing really regretful. Despite being only a couple of minutes behind, she feels compelled to justify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Fortunately, during an interview, that’s precisely what one hopes to experience. Additionally, it’s quite expected. Those who know the fearlessly openly gay and unapologetically crass project Bottoms—that she collaborated on with her creative partner and starred in with collaborator the talented actress—can already know that Sennott holds much to share, ranging from about identity, sex, or the merits of creating a high-school brawl society. Furthermore, by the end her latest seasonal HBO series I Love LA, it is clear that she holds additional thoughts about the challenges of young adulthood (At 30, she represents a relatable figure of the gang, a tale-end millennial with a knack for bridging both generations).
Influences and Creative Vision
Parallels to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and the actress admits to being an admirer, citing it alongside the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as guides for her series, which follows the journey of online personality Tallulah and close companion who is also new agent portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the most significant influence on creative vision was reserved for Entourage, the show focusing on a rising celebrity making his way in a gritty Hollywood (memorable line: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott started watching it throughout COVID-19, became “captivated”, and decided to put her own twist 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 explains. The idea for this project emerged—to some extent—from personal, originally fractious, transition to LA and from the astrological phase, a popular phenomenon for enthusiasts. That period marked a time that saw her learn some big insights, professionally and individually. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” 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…”
Starting Out
Growing up in Connecticut, the star started creating and acting comedy while enrolled in acting at NYU’s Tisch. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she states. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. 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.”
Sennott seized control, appearing at open mics with Edebiri and uploading uproarious (and distinctly) weird comedy videos digitally. A particular video, Baby Cult, depicted characters intensely fixated on motherhood; a different one portrayed being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being caught in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she connected with Seligman through NYU’s movie community and ultimately featuring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, a tense comedy set at a funeral gathering with shades of the intense thriller. The central motif of her path, she explains, has been people her own age supporting her, rather than the industry at large. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, stating with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”
Manifesting Dreams
Those who questioned about her earlier will certainly be feeling foolish now. In what she calls a “astonishingly complete” development, she appears to manifested an ideal role. A few years back she posted a clip named “it’s LA” online, in which she parodied film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with the co-writer) of a series about city dwellers balancing benefits of online celebrity (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being accused of being a substance-abusing thief, and potentially becoming a unreliable pariah). It would be easy to make a show about online fame that was horribly glamorous—or, more problematic, one that punched down at those depicted. The series does neither, making for a representation of affluent young adult living that’s candid about the mess and the shine.
Balanced Perspective
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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
