Rachel Sennott joins the online meeting and immediately begins an excuse. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she states, sounding really apologetic. Although she's only a bit delayed, she feels compelled to justify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Luckily, in this context, that’s just what one hopes to encounter. Moreover, it’s quite unsurprising. Those who have seen her fearlessly queer and outspoken movie Bottoms—which she collaborated on with her creative partner and starred in alongside close companion The Bear’s standout—can already know that Sennott holds a lot to share, whether about roles, intimacy, or the pros of starting a teen brawl society. Plus, once you finish the latest multi-episode show I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star carries further thoughts about the darker side of Gen Z life (As a millennial, she serves as an honorary member to younger audiences, a tale-end millennial adept for bridging both generations).
Guiding Lights and Storytelling Approach
Parallels to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and Sennott readily acknowledges an admirer, citing it alongside the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as influences for her series, which details the journey of online personality Tallulah and ally who is also new agent portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the biggest influence on concept went to the HBO series, the HBO sitcom focusing on an up-and-coming A-list actor making his way in an often-seedy Hollywood (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She started watching it during lockdown, became “captivated”, and decided to create a new version on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she says. The inspiration for the series originated—in part—from her own, originally difficult, move to Los Angeles and from the astrological phase, a much-talked-about phenomenon for astrology heads. That period marked an era that involved her learn significant life lessons, in her career and personally. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” 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…”
Humble Origins
Growing up in New England, the star started creating and acting humor while enrolled in acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she states. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. 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.”
Sennott seized control, appearing at live shows with Ayo and uploading uproarious (and distinctly) bizarre online content on the internet. One, titled Baby Cult, centered on several females obsessively fixated on pregnancy; another imagined working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being stuck in a thriller. By chance, she encountered Emma through the university’s film scene and ultimately featuring in her first film, Shiva Baby, a stressful comedy set at a Jewish wake with hints of Uncut Gems. The central motif of her journey, she says, has been people her own age giving her a shot, as opposed to the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she repeats, continuing amusedly: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Career Breakthrough
Those who were skeptical regarding her earlier will surely be kicking themselves now. As part of she labels a “incredibly circular” story, she seems to have created an ideal role. Previously she shared a video named “it’s LA” online, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Years later, she’s a lead creator (with the co-writer) of a series about LA residents juggling advantages of internet fame (such as celebrating at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your associate being suspected of being a drug-addled stealer, and perhaps becoming a risky pariah). It would be tempting to create a show about internet celebrity that was horribly glamorous—or, worse, one that punched down at those depicted. This show avoids both, making for a representation of privileged millennial living that’s candid about the mess and the glamour.
Nuanced Portrayal
“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
