Rachel Sennott appears on the video call and at once launches into an excuse. “Apologies for the delay!” she says, sounding genuinely apologetic. Despite being only a couple of minutes delayed, she needs to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Thankfully, for a writer, that’s just what you want to experience. Additionally, it’s fairly predictable. Anyone who have seen her unapologetically queer and unapologetically crass film Bottoms—which she collaborated on with her creative partner and appeared in with close companion Ayo Edebiri—can be aware that she has much to discuss, whether about identity, sex, or the appeal of creating a high-school combat group. Furthermore, once you finish the latest multi-episode HBO series titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star holds even more insights regarding the darker side of Gen Z life (Now in her thirties, Sennott is a relatable figure to younger audiences, on the cusp adept for bridging both generations).
Guiding Lights and Storytelling Approach
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s Girls can’t be avoided and Sennott readily acknowledges a fan, referencing it alongside the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as guides for I Love LA, which tracks the journey of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend who is also new representative Maia. Perhaps, the most significant presence on creative vision went to the popular sitcom, the show focusing on an up-and-coming celebrity making his way in an often-seedy LA scene (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott started watching it during COVID-19, became “hooked”, and resolved to put her own twist on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she notes. The concept for this project originated—to some extent—from firsthand, at first fractious, relocation to Tinseltown and from her astrological phase, a much-talked-about phenomenon for followers. It was a time that involved her learn major truths, work-wise and personally. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she recalls. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Starting Out
Growing up in Connecticut, Sennott commenced creating and acting humor while enrolled in performance at NYU’s Tisch. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” 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. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She took matters into her own hands, appearing at live shows with Edebiri and posting hilarious (and decidedly) weird skits on the internet. One, Baby Cult, followed characters obsessively drawn to pregnancy; a different one envisioned being employed at a trendy retail outlet as similar to being stuck in a horror film. In a neat twist of fate, she connected with Seligman through the university’s film scene and ultimately appearing in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful comedy set at a Jewish wake with shades of the intense thriller. The big theme of her path, she notes, has been people her own age supporting her, rather than established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, adding humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Individuals who were skeptical regarding Sennott earlier will likely be kicking themselves now. As part of she describes as a “incredibly circular” development, she has created an ideal role. In 2019 she uploaded content titled on LA life on social media, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about LA residents balancing the perks of digital stardom (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your client being suspected of being a drug-addled thief, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” pariah). One might tempting to make a series about digital influence that was horribly glamorous—or, worse, one that punched down at those depicted. This show steers clear of each, resulting in a portrait of privileged millennial living that’s frank about the chaos and the shine.
Empathetic Approach
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” she says. “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
