Rachel Sennott on the uproarious comedy portraying that messy allure of younger generation life
The performer joins the video call and right away launches into an apology. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, appearing genuinely regretful. Although she's only a couple of minutes behind, she needs to justify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Fortunately, in this context, this is just what is ideal to hear. Additionally, it’s pretty unsurprising. Those who know her fearlessly LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass project titled Bottoms—that she co-wrote with the director and appeared in with her friend the talented actress—can understand that she holds much to say, ranging from about gender, intimacy, or the appeal of forming a youth brawl society. Furthermore, once you finish her new seasonal show titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star has additional thoughts on the challenges of Gen Z life (As a millennial, she represents a relatable figure for this generation, a tale-end millennial with a knack for connecting different age groups).
Inspirations and Creative Vision
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s Girls can’t be avoided and the actress readily acknowledges an admirer, citing it alongside Sex and the City, Insecure and Atlanta as inspirations for the project, which details the travails of online personality Tallulah and her friend and aspiring agent Sennott’s character. Notably, the largest spot on concept was reserved for the popular sitcom, the program focusing on an emerging celebrity making his way in an often-seedy entertainment industry (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott began viewing it amid the pandemic, became “captivated”, and resolved to create a new version 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 explains. The inspiration for this project emerged—partly—from her own, originally rocky, move to LA and from her astrological phase, a popular phenomenon for followers. It was a time that saw her learn major life lessons, in her career and in private life. “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. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Humble Origins
Brought up in New England, Sennott started writing and performing stand-up while pursuing theatre at a prestigious arts school. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she says. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. 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 decided to act independently, appearing at open mics with Ayo and uploading hilarious (and very) weird comedy videos online. One, titled Baby Cult, followed a group of women intensely drawn to motherhood; a different one envisioned being employed at a trendy retail outlet as like being caught in a horror film. Interestingly, she met Seligman through the university’s film scene and ended up starring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a Jewish wake with shades of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The big theme of her journey, she explains, has been people her own age supporting her, rather than traditional networks. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she repeats, adding amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Manifesting Dreams
Individuals who questioned regarding Sennott earlier will surely be regretting it now. As part of she labels a “incredibly circular” story, she seems to have manifested her dream vehicle. A few years back she shared content named “it’s LA” on social media, in which she mocked movie previews (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s the co-showrunner (with her partner) of a comedy about Angelenos managing benefits of online celebrity (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being suspected of being a intoxicated criminal, and possibly becoming a risky persona non grata). Some could simple to make a series about digital influence that was horribly idealized—or, more problematic, one that belittled at the characters. The series steers clear of each, making for a representation of advantaged young adult living that’s honest about the mess and the appeal.
Empathetic Approach
“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” 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