Rachel Sennott on the side-splitting show portraying the messy appeal of today's youth existence
The star enters the video call and at once begins an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, sounding really regretful. She is only a bit delayed, she wants to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Luckily, during an interview, this is precisely what one hopes to experience. Besides, it’s pretty expected. Anyone who know the unapologetically openly gay and unapologetically crass project titled Bottoms—that Sennott penned with the director and featured in together with close companion the talented actress—can understand that she holds a lot to share, ranging from on identity, relationships, or the merits of forming a high-school combat group. Furthermore, by the end the latest multi-episode show titled I Love LA, viewers realize that she holds even more insights on the darker side of young adulthood (Now in her thirties, Sennott is a bridge to younger audiences, on the cusp with a knack for straddling different age groups).
Guiding Lights and Artistic Direction
The comparisons to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and the actress is a fan, naming it alongside Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as guides for the project, which follows the struggles of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend and aspiring representative portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the most significant influence on creative vision went to Entourage, the HBO sitcom about a rising Hollywood star making his way in a gritty Hollywood (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She started watching it amid the pandemic, became “obsessed”, and decided 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 inspiration for this project came—to some extent—from her own, originally rocky, transition to LA and from her astrological phase, a much-talked-about phenomenon for enthusiasts. This represented a phase that saw her learn significant insights, professionally and in private life. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she recalls. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Early Beginnings
Brought up in the East Coast, the star commenced creating and acting stand-up while enrolled in acting at a prestigious arts school. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” 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 decided to act independently, performing at live shows with Edebiri and uploading hysterical (and very) bizarre comedy videos online. A particular video, Baby Cult, depicted several females intensely obsessed with having babies; another envisioned working at the brand Hollister as similar to being stuck in a thriller. Interestingly, she connected with Emma through campus film circles and ended up starring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a funeral gathering with hints of the intense thriller. The central motif of her journey, she explains, has been contemporaries offering opportunities, instead of established gatekeepers. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, continuing humorously: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Manifesting Dreams
Individuals who questioned regarding Sennott earlier will surely be kicking themselves today. In what she labels a “incredibly circular” story, she has manifested her dream vehicle. In 2019 she uploaded content titled “it’s LA” on social media, in which she lampooned film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s a lead creator (with her partner) of a comedy about city dwellers managing benefits of online celebrity (such as socializing at a celebrity’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being labeled as being a substance-abusing stealer, and potentially becoming a risky persona non grata). One might tempting to create a series about online fame that was extremely idealized—or, worse, one that mocked at the characters. I Love LA steers clear of each, resulting in a representation of privileged millennial life that’s candid about the grot and the appeal.
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