The actress and writer on her hilarious series about the chaotic glamour of today's youth life
Rachel Sennott joins the online meeting and at once launches into an excuse. “Apologies for the delay!” she exclaims, sounding genuinely remorseful. Despite being only a bit behind, she needs to justify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, during an interview, this is exactly what you want to hear. Moreover, it’s fairly predictable. Viewers who know her unapologetically LGBTQ+ and brash project titled Bottoms—which Sennott collaborated on with the director and featured in together with close companion the talented actress—would be aware that she possesses a lot to share, ranging from about gender, sex, or the pros of starting a youth brawl society. And, once you finish her recent seasonal program I Love LA, it is clear that the star holds additional perspectives on the challenges of young adulthood (Now in her thirties, Sennott represents an honorary member for this generation, a tale-end millennial with a knack for connecting different age groups).
Guiding Lights and Creative Vision
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show can’t be avoided and the actress admits to being enthusiastic, referencing it in addition to Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as inspirations for her series, which tracks the struggles of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion and aspiring talent manager Maia. However, the most significant spot on concept went to the popular sitcom, the program depicting an emerging Hollywood star succeeding in an often-seedy Hollywood (memorable line: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She started watching it during lockdown, became “captivated”, and decided to put her own twist on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she says. The idea for this project came—in part—from personal, originally difficult, relocation to LA and from the astrological phase, a popular event for followers. It was a time that included her grasp major insights, professionally and in private life. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she says. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Humble Origins
Brought up in Connecticut, the star started creating and acting stand-up while studying performance at a prestigious arts school. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she says. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. 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.”
She took matters into her own hands, performing at live shows with Edebiri and uploading hysterical (and very) weird comedy videos on the internet. One, titled Baby Cult, depicted characters intensely fixated on motherhood; another envisioned being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being caught in a thriller. By chance, she encountered Seligman through the university’s film scene and ended up featuring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, a tense comedy set at a religious event with echoes of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her career, she says, has been peers giving her a shot, rather than traditional networks. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Not the gatekeepers”, she repeats, adding amusedly: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Career Breakthrough
Those who questioned regarding Sennott previously will certainly be regretting it today. As part of she calls a “wild, full-circle” development, she seems to have manifested an ideal role. A few years back she uploaded a clip named about Los Angeles on social media, in which she parodied film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Six years on, she’s the co-showrunner (with the co-writer) of a show about Angelenos balancing advantages of digital stardom (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your associate being suspected of being a drug-addled thief, and perhaps becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). Some could simple to produce a series about online fame that was horribly aspirational—or, more problematic, one that punched down at those depicted. This show does neither, making for a portrait of privileged young adult life that’s honest about the grot and the shine.
Nuanced Portrayal
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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