Rachel Sennott enters the digital interview and immediately starts an explanation. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she states, sounding truly remorseful. Although she's only a couple of minutes behind, she wants 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!” Thankfully, for a writer, that’s precisely what is ideal to hear. Additionally, it’s fairly predictable. Anyone who know the boldly queer and outspoken project Bottoms—which she penned with her creative partner and appeared in together with close companion The Bear’s standout—would be aware that Sennott has much to discuss, be it on roles, sex, or the merits of starting a youth combat group. And, by the end the recent eight-part show titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she carries even more perspectives regarding the challenges of modern youth (As a millennial, she is a bridge to younger audiences, straddling eras with a knack for bridging both generations).
Influences and Storytelling Approach
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and Sennott is an admirer, citing the show in addition to the classic series, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as inspirations for the project, which tracks the struggles of an influencer Tallulah and her friend and aspiring representative portrayed by Sennott. However, the most significant presence on the moodboard was reserved for Entourage, that show about a rising celebrity navigating in a gritty LA scene (notable statement: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott discovered it amid the pandemic, became “hooked”, and resolved to create a new version on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she explains. The idea for this project came—partly—from firsthand, at first rocky, relocation to LA and from the cosmic event, a frequently discussed phenomenon for followers. This represented a time that included her learn significant insights, work-wise and in private life. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she says. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Humble Origins
Raised in the East Coast, the star commenced writing and performing stand-up while studying theatre at NYU’s Tisch. “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. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
Sennott seized control, performing at open mics with her friend and sharing uproarious (and very) unconventional online content on the internet. One, titled Baby Cult, centered on characters obsessively fixated on motherhood; another envisioned being employed at a trendy retail outlet as akin to being stuck in a horror film. By chance, she connected with Emma through the university’s film scene and ended up appearing in her initial project, Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a religious event with echoes of the intense thriller. The big theme of her path, she notes, has been people her own age offering opportunities, instead of established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she emphasizes, adding with a laugh: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Manifesting Dreams
Those who had doubts regarding Sennott previously will likely be regretting it currently. In what she calls a “incredibly circular” turn of events, she has manifested the perfect project. A few years back she shared a clip named “it’s LA” online, in which she parodied movie previews (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Six years on, she’s the co-showrunner (with the co-writer) of a series about Angelenos balancing advantages of internet fame (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your client being suspected of being a intoxicated stealer, and perhaps becoming a unreliable pariah). One might simple to produce a show about online fame that was extremely idealized—or, even less favorable, one that mocked at the characters. The series avoids both, creating a depiction of privileged twentysomething existence that’s honest about the chaos and the glamour.
Empathetic Approach
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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
