Rachel Sennott appears on the online meeting and immediately starts an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, appearing really remorseful. Although she's only slightly late, she wants to clarify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Thankfully, for a writer, that’s just what one hopes to experience. Additionally, it’s fairly expected. Viewers familiar with her boldly LGBTQ+ and outspoken project Bottoms—that she collaborated on with Emma Seligman and featured in together with her friend the talented actress—would understand that Sennott has much to discuss, be it about gender, sex, or the merits of creating a high-school brawl society. And, after watching her recent seasonal show I Love LA, viewers realize that she holds further insights regarding the challenges of modern youth (At 30, Sennott represents an honorary member of the gang, a tale-end millennial skilled for bridging different age groups).
Guiding Lights and Creative Vision
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show can’t be avoided and the actress admits to being enthusiastic, referencing the show in addition to the classic series, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as influences for her series, which details the journey of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion who is also fledgling agent Maia. Perhaps, the largest spot on creative vision went to Entourage, that program focusing on an emerging Hollywood star making his way in an often-seedy Hollywood (memorable line: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott discovered it throughout the pandemic, became “hooked”, and resolved 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—partly—from firsthand, initially difficult, relocation to Tinseltown and from the astrological phase, a frequently discussed event for astrology heads. It was a phase that involved her understand major life lessons, professionally and in private life. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she admits. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Starting Out
Brought up in Connecticut, the star started creating and acting stand-up while studying acting at a prestigious arts school. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she explains. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “None of the university plays cast me either.” And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
Sennott decided to act independently, appearing at amateur nights with her friend and sharing uproarious (and distinctly) bizarre skits digitally. One, Baby Cult, followed characters intensely fixated on pregnancy; another portrayed being employed at a trendy retail outlet as similar to being stuck in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she connected with Seligman through the university’s film scene and eventually appearing in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a Jewish wake with shades of Uncut Gems. The central motif of her career, she explains, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, as opposed to established gatekeepers. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she repeats, stating humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Anyone who had doubts about Sennott then will likely be feeling foolish currently. In what she labels a “wild, full-circle” story, she seems to have manifested the perfect project. Previously she shared content titled “it’s LA” on social media, in which she parodied Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a show about LA residents managing benefits of digital stardom (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your friend being labeled as being a substance-abusing thief, and possibly becoming a unreliable pariah). Some could tempting to create a program about internet celebrity that was horribly glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at the characters. The series steers clear of each, resulting in a representation of advantaged young adult living that’s frank about the grot and the glamour.
Empathetic Approach
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” she comments. “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
