🔗 Share this article

Rachel Sennott appears on the online meeting and at once begins an explanation. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, sounding genuinely apologetic. Although she's only slightly behind, she wants to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Luckily, in this context, this is exactly what is ideal to hear. Besides, it’s quite expected. Anyone familiar with the fearlessly openly gay and unapologetically crass film Bottoms—that she co-wrote with the director and featured in alongside close companion Ayo Edebiri—can already know that Sennott has plenty to say, whether about identity, intimacy, or the merits of creating a teen brawl society. Plus, after watching the latest multi-episode show titled I Love LA, it is clear that she holds even more perspectives regarding the struggles of young adulthood (At 30, Sennott represents a relatable figure to younger audiences, straddling eras with a knack for connecting millennials and Gen Z).

Inspirations and Creative Vision

Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show are inevitable and the actress admits to being enthusiastic, referencing the show alongside the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and Donald Glover’s series as guides for her series, which follows the journey of an influencer Tallulah and close companion and new representative Maia. However, the most significant influence on the moodboard went to the HBO series, that program focusing on an up-and-coming Hollywood star making his way in a gritty entertainment industry (choice quote: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She began viewing it amid lockdown, became “hooked”, and resolved to create a new version 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 notes. The concept for the series came—in part—from her own, at first fractious, move to Los Angeles and from her saturn return, a popular event for followers. It was a time that saw her understand major insights, professionally 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…”

Early Beginnings

Brought up in Connecticut, the star began writing and performing stand-up while pursuing performance at NYU’s Tisch. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she states. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “None of the university plays cast me either.” “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”

Sennott decided to act independently, appearing at live shows with her friend and uploading uproarious (and very) bizarre comedy videos on the internet. A particular video, Baby Cult, followed characters intensely fixated on having babies; another imagined being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being trapped in a scary movie. Interestingly, she encountered Emma through campus film circles and eventually starring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, a tense film set at a Jewish wake with echoes of Uncut Gems. The central motif of her journey, she notes, has been peers supporting her, instead of established gatekeepers. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, continuing humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”

Manifesting Dreams

Anyone who were skeptical about her then will certainly be kicking themselves currently. In what she labels a “wild, full-circle” story, she has achieved an ideal role. In 2019 she posted a video called “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she parodied film promos (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with the co-writer) of a show about Angelenos juggling the perks of online celebrity (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your associate being labeled as being a intoxicated thief, and perhaps becoming a unreliable pariah). Some could simple to make a program about online fame that was extremely glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at those depicted. The series steers clear of each, resulting in a portrait of privileged twentysomething living that’s candid about the mess and the shine.

Balanced Perspective

“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