Rachel Sennott appears on the online meeting and at once launches into an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she states, appearing truly apologetic. She is only slightly late, she feels compelled to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, in this context, that’s precisely what one hopes to hear. Moreover, it’s quite expected. Those who know her fearlessly queer and brash movie Bottoms—that Sennott penned with her creative partner and appeared in together with her friend Ayo Edebiri—would understand that Sennott holds plenty to say, be it on roles, sex, or the merits of forming a teen combat group. Plus, once you finish her recent seasonal program I Love LA, it is clear that the star has further thoughts regarding the struggles of Gen Z life (Now in her thirties, Sennott represents an honorary member for this generation, on the cusp adept for connecting different age groups).
Guiding Lights and Artistic Direction
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show can’t be avoided and the actress readily acknowledges a fan, referencing it alongside Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as influences for her series, which details the struggles of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion and new representative Maia. Notably, the most significant presence on the moodboard belonged to the HBO series, that program focusing on an up-and-coming celebrity making his way in a gritty LA scene (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She started watching it throughout lockdown, became “obsessed”, and resolved to put her own twist 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 says. The idea for this project originated—partly—from firsthand, originally rocky, move to Los Angeles and from her astrological phase, a much-talked-about occurrence for followers. This represented an era that saw her grasp significant life lessons, in her career and personally. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she says. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Humble Origins
Raised in the East Coast, the star began writing and performing humor while studying acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she explains. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “None of the university plays cast me either.” And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
Sennott decided to act independently, taking the stage at open mics with her friend and posting uproarious (and decidedly) unconventional comedy videos digitally. One, Baby Cult, depicted a group of women obsessively fixated on pregnancy; a different one portrayed working at the brand Hollister as akin to being caught in a scary movie. By chance, she met Seligman through the university’s film scene and eventually featuring in her first film, Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a religious event with hints of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The big theme of her path, she explains, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, instead of traditional networks. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she repeats, adding with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”
Rising Success
Individuals who were skeptical regarding her earlier will certainly be regretting it today. In what she calls a “incredibly circular” story, she seems to have achieved her dream vehicle. A few years back she posted content called about Los Angeles on the internet, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a show about LA residents balancing benefits of internet fame (such as socializing at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your associate being suspected of being a substance-abusing thief, and potentially becoming a risky pariah). One might simple to make a program about internet celebrity that was overly aspirational—or, worse, one that punched down at those depicted. The series avoids both, making for a portrait of advantaged twentysomething living that’s candid about the mess and the shine.
Nuanced Portrayal
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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
