Rachel Sennott joins the digital interview and immediately launches into an apology. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she states, appearing really regretful. Despite being only a bit behind, she feels compelled to clarify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Luckily, in this context, this is precisely what one hopes to experience. Besides, it’s fairly predictable. Viewers who know the fearlessly openly gay and unapologetically crass film Bottoms—which she co-wrote with her creative partner and starred in with her friend the talented actress—would already know that she holds a lot to share, ranging from on roles, sex, or the pros of forming a high-school combat group. Furthermore, once you finish her latest seasonal HBO series I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she has additional insights about the struggles of Gen Z life (At 30, she represents a relatable figure for this generation, on the cusp skilled for straddling different age groups).
Guiding Lights and Creative Vision
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s Girls are inevitable and the actress readily acknowledges a fan, citing it alongside the HBO hit, Insecure and Donald Glover’s series as influences for I Love LA, which follows the travails of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend who is also aspiring representative Maia. Notably, the biggest presence on the moodboard was reserved for the HBO series, the program about a rising celebrity succeeding in an often-seedy entertainment industry (notable statement: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott discovered it during COVID-19, became “hooked”, and chose to create a new version 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 inspiration for the series came—to some extent—from firsthand, at first rocky, relocation to Los Angeles and from the saturn return, a frequently discussed occurrence for followers. This represented an era that included her grasp major life lessons, in her career and in private life. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” 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
Brought up in the East Coast, Sennott started writing and performing humor while studying acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she states. “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. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
She seized control, taking the stage at open mics with Edebiri and sharing hilarious (and very) bizarre skits digitally. One, titled Baby Cult, depicted a group of women intensely obsessed with pregnancy; another envisioned working at the brand Hollister as like being stuck in a horror film. By chance, she encountered Emma through campus film circles and ultimately featuring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a Jewish wake with shades of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her journey, she notes, has been contemporaries offering opportunities, instead of the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, continuing amusedly: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Rising Success
Those who had doubts about her previously will certainly be kicking themselves now. In what she labels a “incredibly circular” turn of events, she has manifested her dream vehicle. Previously she shared content named on LA life on social media, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a show about Angelenos juggling advantages of digital stardom (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your client being labeled as being a drug-addled thief, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” pariah). It would be tempting to produce a series about online fame that was overly glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at its subjects. The series steers clear of each, making for a portrait of advantaged twentysomething life that’s candid about the mess and the shine.
Empathetic Approach
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” she observes. “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
