Rachel Sennott discussing the side-splitting series portraying the messy glamour of younger generation lifestyle
The performer joins the online meeting and right away starts an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she exclaims, appearing genuinely regretful. Despite being only a couple of minutes behind, she needs to clarify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Fortunately, in this context, that’s precisely what is ideal to hear. Additionally, it’s quite predictable. Those who have seen her unapologetically queer and outspoken project Bottoms—which Sennott collaborated on with Emma Seligman and appeared in with close companion Ayo Edebiri—will be aware that she has much to say, whether on identity, intimacy, or the merits of starting a teen brawl society. Plus, once you finish her recent eight-part program I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she has additional insights regarding the struggles of Gen Z life (Now in her thirties, Sennott serves as an honorary member for this generation, straddling eras skilled for connecting millennials and Gen Z).
Guiding Lights and Artistic Direction
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s Girls can’t be avoided and Sennott is an admirer, referencing it in addition to Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as guides for I Love LA, which tracks the struggles of an influencer Tallulah and close companion who is also new talent manager Sennott’s character. However, the largest presence on the moodboard was reserved for the popular sitcom, the show focusing on an emerging A-list actor navigating in a gritty entertainment industry (choice quote: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She discovered it throughout COVID-19, became “captivated”, and chose to add a fresh perspective 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 notes. The concept for this project emerged—to some extent—from personal, initially difficult, relocation to Tinseltown and from her astrological phase, a popular event for enthusiasts. This represented a time that included her understand major truths, in her career and individually. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she admits. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Starting Out
Growing up in New England, the star started creating and acting humor while pursuing acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she states. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “None of the university plays cast me either.” And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She decided to act independently, appearing at open mics with Ayo and posting hilarious (and distinctly) unconventional online content online. One, Baby Cult, centered on a group of women obsessively drawn to having babies; another imagined working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being caught in a scary movie. Interestingly, she encountered Seligman through NYU’s movie community and eventually featuring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, a tense comedy set at a religious event with shades of the intense thriller. The big theme of her career, she explains, has been contemporaries supporting her, rather than the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she confirms, adding amusedly: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Manifesting Dreams
Those who questioned about Sennott then will surely be regretting it now. As part of she labels a “astonishingly complete” story, she has manifested her dream vehicle. A few years back she uploaded a video called “it’s LA” on social media, in which she lampooned movie previews (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a series about city dwellers balancing the perks of online celebrity (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being accused of being a intoxicated criminal, and potentially becoming a unreliable outcast). It would be tempting to produce a show about online fame that was overly glamorous—or, worse, one that mocked at those depicted. The series does neither, resulting in a representation of advantaged millennial life that’s candid about the chaos and the shine.
Balanced Perspective
“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