The actress and writer exploring her side-splitting series depicting the messy glamour of younger generation life
Rachel Sennott enters the online meeting and immediately begins an excuse. “Apologies for the delay!” she exclaims, appearing 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!” Luckily, for a writer, that’s precisely what one hopes to encounter. Moreover, it’s fairly unsurprising. Those who have seen her unapologetically openly gay and outspoken movie titled Bottoms—which Sennott collaborated on with the director and appeared in together with her friend the talented actress—would understand that she possesses plenty to discuss, be it about gender, sex, or the appeal of starting a youth fight club. Plus, by the end the recent multi-episode HBO series I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star carries even more perspectives about the struggles of modern youth (At 30, she serves as a bridge for this generation, a tale-end millennial skilled for straddling both generations).
Guiding Lights and Storytelling Approach
The comparisons to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and the actress readily acknowledges a fan, naming the show alongside the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as guides for I Love LA, which tracks the travails of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion and new talent manager portrayed by Sennott. However, the largest spot on concept was reserved for Entourage, the show about a rising Hollywood star navigating in a corrupt Hollywood (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott discovered it throughout COVID-19, became “hooked”, and chose to add a fresh perspective on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she says. The inspiration for the series originated—to some extent—from personal, originally rocky, relocation to Tinseltown and from her cosmic event, a popular occurrence for followers. This represented a phase that saw her learn major life lessons, work-wise and in private life. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she admits. “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…”
Starting Out
Raised in New England, Sennott began developing and showcasing stand-up while pursuing acting at a prestigious arts school. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she explains. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
She decided to act independently, taking the stage at open mics with her friend and posting hilarious (and very) unconventional online content digitally. A particular video, Baby Cult, followed a group of women obsessively fixated on motherhood; a different one imagined working at the brand Hollister as akin to being trapped in a horror film. Interestingly, she connected with Seligman through campus film circles and ultimately appearing in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a religious event with shades of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The big theme of her journey, she explains, has been people her own age supporting her, instead of established gatekeepers. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “They were not involved”, she confirms, adding amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Manifesting Dreams
Individuals who questioned about Sennott earlier will surely be feeling foolish today. In what she calls a “incredibly circular” story, she has created an ideal role. A few years back she posted content named about Los Angeles on the internet, in which she lampooned film promos (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Years later, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a series about LA residents managing the perks of online celebrity (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your associate being accused of being a substance-abusing stealer, and possibly becoming a risky pariah). Some could simple to produce a program about online fame that was extremely idealized—or, more problematic, one that mocked at its subjects. This show steers clear of each, resulting in a representation of affluent millennial life that’s honest about the mess 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