Rachel Sennott joins the digital interview and immediately begins an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she states, seeming genuinely remorseful. Despite being only a couple of minutes behind, she needs to justify. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Luckily, during an interview, that’s precisely what you want to encounter. Additionally, it’s quite expected. Anyone who know the fearlessly LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass film Bottoms—which she collaborated on with her creative partner and featured in with close companion The Bear’s standout—will understand that she has a lot to say, ranging from on roles, intimacy, or the pros of starting a teen fight club. Furthermore, by the end her recent seasonal HBO series I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star carries additional perspectives regarding the darker side of modern youth (At 30, she represents an honorary member of the gang, on the cusp with a knack for straddling millennials and Gen Z).
Influences and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show can’t be avoided and the actress readily acknowledges a fan, referencing the show alongside the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as guides for I Love LA, which tracks the struggles of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion and aspiring agent portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the most significant presence on the moodboard belonged to the popular sitcom, that program focusing on an up-and-coming A-list actor succeeding in a corrupt Hollywood (notable statement: “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 “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 notes. The idea for the series came—to some extent—from her own, originally rocky, relocation to Los Angeles and from her astrological phase, a much-talked-about event for astrology heads. That period marked an era that included her learn major life lessons, in her career and personally. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she recalls. “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 developing and showcasing humor while studying performance at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” 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. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
She seized control, performing at open mics with her friend and posting uproarious (and decidedly) unconventional comedy videos on the internet. One, titled Baby Cult, depicted several females intensely fixated on pregnancy; another portrayed working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being caught in a thriller. In a neat twist of fate, she met Emma through NYU’s movie community and ultimately starring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a funeral gathering with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her path, she says, has been peers giving her a shot, instead of traditional networks. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, continuing amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Anyone who had doubts about her then will likely be kicking themselves today. Through she calls a “wild, full-circle” story, she seems to have created the perfect project. Previously she uploaded a video titled “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she parodied Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a show about city dwellers managing advantages of internet fame (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with drawbacks (your friend being suspected of being a intoxicated thief, and perhaps becoming a unreliable persona non grata). One might tempting to produce a program about online fame that was horribly aspirational—or, even less favorable, one that mocked at the characters. The series avoids both, making for a representation of advantaged millennial existence that’s candid about the mess and the appeal.
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
