🔗 Share this article

Rachel Sennott joins the video call and immediately starts an apology. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, appearing really apologetic. Despite being only a couple of minutes behind, she feels compelled to clarify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Thankfully, in this context, this is exactly what you want to hear. Additionally, it’s fairly unsurprising. Anyone who have seen the unapologetically LGBTQ+ and outspoken movie Bottoms—that Sennott co-wrote with her creative partner and starred in alongside close companion the talented actress—would be aware that she possesses a lot to share, ranging from on gender, sex, or the merits of starting a teen combat group. And, by the end her recent multi-episode HBO series titled I Love LA, it is clear that the star carries even more thoughts regarding the struggles of young adulthood (As a millennial, she is a bridge of the gang, on the cusp adept for connecting both generations).

Inspirations and Creative Vision

Parallels to Lena Dunham’s Girls are inevitable and Sennott readily acknowledges a fan, naming the show alongside the HBO hit, Insecure and the innovative program as guides for her series, which details the travails of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and ally and new representative Sennott’s character. However, the largest presence on the moodboard went to the HBO series, the program depicting an emerging Hollywood star making his way in an often-seedy LA scene (choice quote: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She discovered it during lockdown, became “captivated”, and chose to add a fresh perspective on it “for the girls and the gays”.

“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she says. The concept for this project originated—to some extent—from her own, initially fractious, transition to Los Angeles and from the astrological phase, a frequently discussed event for followers. It was a phase that involved her learn major truths, work-wise and in private life. “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 was almost like these biblical tests …”

Starting Out

Growing up in Connecticut, Sennott began writing and performing comedy while enrolled in acting at NYU’s Tisch. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she says. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”

Sennott seized control, taking the stage at live shows with her friend and posting hilarious (and very) unconventional skits digitally. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, depicted several females obsessively fixated on having babies; another portrayed being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being caught in a scary movie. Interestingly, she met Emma through NYU’s movie community and ended up featuring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a religious event with echoes of the intense thriller. The central motif of her path, she notes, has been people her own age giving her a shot, rather than traditional networks. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, continuing with a laugh: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”

Rising Success

Those who questioned about her previously will certainly be feeling foolish today. Through she describes as a “incredibly circular” development, she seems to have manifested the perfect project. In 2019 she posted a clip titled about Los Angeles on the internet, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Years later, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a show about LA residents balancing the perks of online celebrity (such as socializing at a famous actor’s house) with downsides (your client being suspected of being a intoxicated stealer, and perhaps becoming a unreliable persona non grata). It would be tempting to produce a series about internet celebrity that was horribly glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that mocked at those depicted. The series avoids both, making for a representation of privileged twentysomething existence that’s honest about the grot and the glamour.

Balanced Perspective

“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” she observes. “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