Rachel Sennott joins the video call and immediately begins an apology. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, appearing genuinely regretful. Despite being only slightly late, she wants to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Luckily, for a writer, this is precisely what you want to experience. Besides, it’s fairly unsurprising. Viewers who know her unapologetically openly gay and brash movie titled Bottoms—which she co-wrote with her creative partner and featured in alongside collaborator the talented actress—will be aware that Sennott has plenty to discuss, be it on gender, relationships, or the pros of creating a teen fight club. Furthermore, once you finish the latest seasonal program titled I Love LA, it is clear that she has additional insights on the darker side of young adulthood (At 30, she represents a relatable figure for this generation, on the cusp adept for straddling millennials and Gen Z).
Influences and Storytelling Approach
The comparisons to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and the actress readily acknowledges enthusiastic, naming the show in addition to Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as guides for the project, which follows the travails of a social media star Tallulah and ally and fledgling representative Maia. Perhaps, the largest influence on concept belonged to the popular sitcom, the HBO sitcom about an up-and-coming A-list actor making his way in an often-seedy entertainment industry (memorable line: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott started watching it throughout lockdown, became “hooked”, and decided to add a fresh perspective on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she notes. The concept for the series came—in part—from firsthand, at first difficult, relocation to LA and from the astrological phase, a much-talked-about occurrence for enthusiasts. That period marked an era that saw her learn some big insights, in her career 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. It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Starting Out
Brought up in New England, the star began creating and acting humor while studying acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she says. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She took matters into her own hands, performing at open mics with Edebiri and sharing hilarious (and decidedly) weird comedy videos digitally. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, centered on a group of women intensely fixated on having babies; a different one portrayed being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being trapped in a thriller. By chance, she connected with Emma through the university’s film scene and eventually starring in her initial project, Shiva Baby, a tense film set at a funeral gathering with echoes of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her career, she notes, has been people her own age giving her a shot, rather than established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, adding amusedly: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Rising Success
Those who were skeptical about Sennott previously will certainly be kicking themselves currently. Through she labels a “wild, full-circle” story, she has manifested the perfect project. In 2019 she shared content titled on LA life on social media, in which she mocked film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Six years on, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about Angelenos juggling advantages of internet fame (such as socializing at a celebrity’s house) with its pitfalls (your associate being suspected of being a drug-addled criminal, and potentially becoming a unreliable outcast). One might easy to make a series about internet celebrity that was extremely glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at its subjects. The series avoids both, creating a depiction of affluent young adult life that’s candid about the chaos and the glamour.
Balanced Perspective
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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
