Rachel Sennott appears on the digital interview and right away begins an excuse. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, sounding truly apologetic. She is only a couple of minutes delayed, she wants to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Luckily, during an interview, this is just what you want to experience. Additionally, it’s pretty expected. Viewers who have seen the unapologetically queer and unapologetically crass film titled Bottoms—which she co-wrote with the director and appeared in alongside close companion The Bear’s standout—will understand that Sennott holds much to share, ranging from on identity, intimacy, or the merits of creating a teen combat group. Furthermore, by the end her recent multi-episode HBO series titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star holds additional insights about the darker side of modern youth (At 30, Sennott serves as a relatable figure for this generation, on the cusp adept for straddling different age groups).
Influences and Storytelling Approach
Parallels to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and the actress admits to being enthusiastic, referencing it alongside the classic series, Insecure and the innovative program as influences for her series, which follows the travails of a social media star Tallulah and her friend who is also new agent Sennott’s character. Notably, the largest influence on the moodboard belonged to Entourage, the program focusing on an emerging Hollywood star making his way in a corrupt LA scene (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott started watching it during COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and chose 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 says. The concept for I Love LA came—in part—from personal, at first fractious, move to Los Angeles and from her cosmic event, a popular occurrence for followers. That period marked an era that included her learn major insights, in her career and in private life. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she says. “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 Connecticut, the star began developing and showcasing humor while pursuing performance at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she says. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” 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.”
She seized control, taking the stage at live shows with her friend and sharing hilarious (and decidedly) weird online content digitally. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, followed a group of women fetishistically obsessed with pregnancy; another imagined working at a trendy retail outlet as similar to being trapped in a horror film. In a neat twist of fate, she encountered Seligman through campus film circles and ultimately appearing in her initial project, Shiva Baby, a tense film set at a Jewish wake with shades of Uncut Gems. A recurring idea of her path, she says, has been people her own age offering opportunities, as opposed to established gatekeepers. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, stating amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”
Manifesting Dreams
Individuals who questioned regarding Sennott previously will certainly be feeling foolish now. In what she labels a “astonishingly complete” story, she has created an ideal role. In 2019 she shared a video named “it’s LA” on social media, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Six years on, she’s the co-showrunner (with the co-writer) of a show about LA residents juggling the perks of internet fame (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with drawbacks (your associate being suspected of being a intoxicated stealer, and possibly becoming a unreliable pariah). It would be simple to make a show about online fame that was overly idealized—or, more problematic, one that punched down at its subjects. This show avoids both, creating a depiction of privileged millennial living that’s candid about the mess and the glamour.
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
