Rachel Sennott exploring her hilarious show portraying that grotty glamour of Gen Z lifestyle
The performer enters the video call and at once begins an explanation. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she states, sounding truly regretful. Despite being only a bit late, she needs to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Luckily, for a writer, that’s exactly what is ideal to experience. Besides, it’s pretty predictable. Those who know her boldly LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass project titled Bottoms—which Sennott penned with her creative partner and appeared in together with her friend the talented actress—will be aware that she has a lot to say, ranging from about gender, relationships, or the pros of starting a teen combat group. Plus, once you finish the recent eight-part show I Love LA, it is clear that she holds even more thoughts on the challenges of modern youth (Now in her thirties, Sennott represents a relatable figure to younger audiences, on the cusp with a knack for connecting both generations).
Influences and Creative Vision
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and Sennott admits to being enthusiastic, naming it alongside the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and Donald Glover’s series as influences for her series, which follows the journey of an influencer Tallulah and close companion who is also fledgling representative Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the most significant spot on creative vision was reserved for Entourage, the show about an emerging Hollywood star navigating in a corrupt entertainment industry (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott started watching it during lockdown, became “obsessed”, and resolved to add a fresh perspective on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she says. The concept for I Love LA originated—to some extent—from firsthand, initially fractious, transition to LA and from her astrological phase, a much-talked-about phenomenon for followers. This represented a phase that saw her understand some big truths, in her career and personally. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she admits. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Starting Out
Brought up in Connecticut, the star started writing and performing comedy while enrolled in acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she states. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She seized control, taking the stage at open mics with Ayo and posting hilarious (and decidedly) weird online content on the internet. One, Baby Cult, depicted several females intensely drawn to having babies; another imagined being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being stuck in a horror film. By chance, she connected with Seligman through campus film circles and ended up featuring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a funeral gathering with shades of the intense thriller. The big theme of her path, she explains, has been people her own age giving her a shot, as opposed to the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “They were not involved”, she repeats, adding amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”
Rising Success
Individuals who were skeptical regarding Sennott then will surely be kicking themselves today. In what she labels a “astonishingly complete” development, she appears to manifested an ideal role. In 2019 she posted a clip called about Los Angeles on social media, in which she lampooned film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about LA residents managing advantages of online celebrity (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your associate being labeled as being a substance-abusing criminal, and possibly becoming a unreliable pariah). Some could tempting to produce a program about digital influence that was overly glamorous—or, worse, one that belittled at those depicted. The series does neither, making for a portrait of privileged young adult life that’s honest about the mess and the appeal.
Nuanced Portrayal
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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