Rachel Sennott appears on the video call and at once starts an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she states, seeming genuinely apologetic. Although she's only a bit late, she feels compelled to clarify. “My phone conversations always run long.” I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Thankfully, during an interview, this is exactly what one hopes to experience. Moreover, it’s fairly expected. Viewers who know the unapologetically queer and outspoken project titled Bottoms—that she co-wrote with the director and appeared in together with close companion the talented actress—will be aware that she possesses much to say, whether on identity, relationships, or the merits of starting a youth brawl society. And, after watching the latest seasonal program titled I Love LA, it is clear that the star carries even more perspectives regarding the darker side of young adulthood (At 30, she represents a relatable figure for this generation, straddling eras with a knack for straddling millennials and Gen Z).
Influences and Storytelling Approach
Likenesses to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and the actress is an admirer, naming the show alongside the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and Donald Glover’s series as guides for the project, which details the struggles of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion who is also fledgling talent manager Maia. Perhaps, the biggest spot on concept was reserved for the popular sitcom, that program about an emerging A-list actor making his way in a corrupt Hollywood (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She discovered it during lockdown, became “hooked”, and decided to add a fresh perspective on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she explains. The inspiration for this project emerged—in part—from her own, at first fractious, transition to Tinseltown and from the saturn return, a much-talked-about event for enthusiasts. It was an era that included her understand major truths, work-wise and individually. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she admits. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Starting Out
Brought up in the East Coast, Sennott started developing and showcasing humor while studying performance at NYU’s Tisch. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she explains. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
Sennott decided to act independently, taking the stage at open mics with Edebiri and posting hysterical (and decidedly) bizarre comedy videos on the internet. One, titled Baby Cult, followed a group of women obsessively obsessed with motherhood; another envisioned being employed at a trendy retail outlet as like being stuck in a horror film. In a neat twist of fate, she encountered Seligman through campus film circles and ultimately starring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a Jewish wake with shades of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her career, she explains, has been people her own age offering opportunities, rather than the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she repeats, stating humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Manifesting Dreams
Individuals who were skeptical regarding Sennott previously will certainly be kicking themselves now. Through she calls a “astonishingly complete” story, she seems to have created an ideal role. Previously she posted a clip called “it’s LA” online, in which she mocked film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s the co-showrunner (with her partner) of a show about city dwellers balancing benefits of online celebrity (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with drawbacks (your friend being suspected of being a intoxicated criminal, and possibly becoming a risky persona non grata). It would be tempting to produce a program about online fame that was extremely glamorous—or, more problematic, one that punched down at the characters. I Love LA avoids both, resulting in a portrait of affluent twentysomething existence that’s frank 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
