Rachel Sennott joins the video call and at once begins an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, appearing genuinely remorseful. Although she's only a couple of minutes late, she wants to justify. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Thankfully, during an interview, this is just what one hopes to experience. Moreover, it’s pretty expected. Those who know her unapologetically openly gay and brash movie titled Bottoms—that she penned with her creative partner and starred in alongside her friend Ayo Edebiri—would be aware that she has much to discuss, whether on identity, relationships, or the appeal of starting a high-school fight club. Furthermore, by the end the recent eight-part HBO series titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she has further perspectives on the struggles of Gen Z life (At 30, Sennott is a bridge to younger audiences, a tale-end millennial with a knack for straddling different age groups).
Guiding Lights and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls are inevitable and the actress is enthusiastic, citing the show alongside the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as guides for the project, which follows the struggles of online personality Tallulah and close companion who is also aspiring agent Maia. Notably, the biggest influence on the moodboard went to the HBO series, the show focusing on a rising A-list actor navigating in a gritty entertainment industry (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She began viewing it throughout lockdown, became “obsessed”, and decided 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 emerged—to some extent—from her own, originally rocky, relocation to Los Angeles and from the cosmic event, a popular event for followers. This represented an era that saw her grasp significant life lessons, professionally and individually. “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 Connecticut, the star commenced writing and performing comedy while studying theatre at a prestigious arts school. “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. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
Sennott decided to act independently, taking the stage at live shows with Edebiri and sharing hilarious (and distinctly) weird comedy videos online. A particular video, Baby Cult, centered on characters obsessively fixated on having babies; a different one imagined being employed at a trendy retail outlet as similar to being caught in a horror film. By chance, she connected with Emma through NYU’s movie community and ultimately appearing in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a Jewish wake with shades of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The big theme of her career, she notes, has been people her own age supporting her, instead of established gatekeepers. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Definitely not them”, she emphasizes, adding humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Manifesting Dreams
Anyone who had doubts regarding Sennott previously will likely be feeling foolish today. In what she describes as a “astonishingly complete” story, she appears to achieved an ideal role. A few years back she shared a clip called about Los Angeles on social media, in which she mocked film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Years later, she’s the co-showrunner (with the co-writer) of a series about Angelenos managing advantages of internet fame (such as socializing at a famous actor’s house) with drawbacks (your client being accused of being a intoxicated criminal, and potentially becoming a risky outcast). One might simple to make a show about online fame that was overly glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that belittled at those depicted. This show avoids both, resulting in a portrait of privileged twentysomething living that’s candid about the chaos and the shine.
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
