🔗 Share this article

Rachel Sennott joins the online meeting and immediately starts an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, appearing truly apologetic. Although she's only slightly delayed, she wants to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, during an interview, this is exactly what you want to hear. Additionally, it’s pretty expected. Anyone familiar with the fearlessly openly gay and outspoken project Bottoms—which she co-wrote with Emma Seligman and starred in together with collaborator The Bear’s standout—will be aware that Sennott has a lot to discuss, whether on gender, sex, or the pros of starting a high-school brawl society. And, once you finish her recent seasonal show titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star has additional insights about the struggles of young adulthood (As a millennial, Sennott serves as a bridge to younger audiences, a tale-end millennial skilled for bridging both generations).

Inspirations and Storytelling Approach

Likenesses to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and the actress readily acknowledges a fan, citing it in addition to Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as guides for the project, which follows the travails of a social media star Tallulah and close companion who is also aspiring agent portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the biggest presence on concept belonged to Entourage, the HBO sitcom about a rising A-list actor making his way in an often-seedy LA scene (memorable line: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She started watching it throughout lockdown, became “obsessed”, and decided to create a new version on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.

“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she explains. The idea for the series came—to some extent—from firsthand, at first fractious, relocation to Los Angeles and from her saturn return, a frequently discussed event for enthusiasts. It was a phase that saw her learn some big life lessons, work-wise and personally. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” 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 …”

Humble Origins

Growing up in the East Coast, Sennott commenced developing and showcasing humor while enrolled in theatre at NYU’s Tisch. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she explains. “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.”

Sennott decided to act independently, taking the stage at amateur nights with Ayo and sharing hysterical (and very) bizarre skits online. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, followed characters obsessively obsessed with motherhood; another imagined being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being stuck in a scary movie. By chance, she met Seligman through campus film circles and ultimately featuring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a funeral gathering with hints of the intense thriller. The big theme of her path, she explains, has been people her own age offering opportunities, as opposed to the industry at large. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she repeats, adding with a laugh: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”

Career Breakthrough

Anyone who questioned regarding Sennott previously will likely be feeling foolish today. As part of she labels a “astonishingly complete” story, she seems to have achieved an ideal role. In 2019 she posted a video named about Los Angeles on the internet, in which she lampooned film promos (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with Emma Barrie) of a show about LA residents managing benefits of internet fame (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your friend being accused of being a substance-abusing criminal, and potentially becoming a risky outcast). Some could tempting to create a program about internet celebrity that was horribly idealized—or, even less favorable, one that mocked at those depicted. I Love LA steers clear of each, making for a representation of privileged young adult living that’s honest about the mess and the appeal.

Balanced Perspective

“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