Rachel Sennott exploring her hilarious comedy depicting the grotty allure of younger generation existence
The performer appears on the video call and right away starts an excuse. “Apologies for the delay!” she says, seeming genuinely apologetic. Despite being only a bit behind, she wants to clarify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Fortunately, for a writer, this is precisely what is ideal to experience. Besides, it’s quite predictable. Viewers familiar with the boldly LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass movie titled Bottoms—which Sennott penned with her creative partner and featured in alongside her friend Ayo Edebiri—will already know that she possesses a lot to discuss, whether on gender, intimacy, or the appeal of forming a youth combat group. And, once you finish the latest eight-part program titled I Love LA, viewers realize that she holds even more perspectives on the darker side of young adulthood (At 30, she represents a relatable figure to younger audiences, a tale-end millennial skilled for connecting millennials and Gen Z).
Influences and Storytelling Approach
The comparisons to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and the actress readily acknowledges a fan, naming the show alongside Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as influences for the project, which follows the struggles of online personality Tallulah and ally who is also fledgling agent Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the biggest influence on the moodboard belonged to the popular sitcom, the HBO sitcom about a rising celebrity making his way in a corrupt LA scene (memorable line: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She started watching it during the pandemic, became “captivated”, and decided to create a new version 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 this project emerged—to some extent—from her own, initially fractious, move to Los Angeles and from the astrological phase, a much-talked-about phenomenon for followers. It was a phase that included her grasp significant insights, in her career and personally. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she admits. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Starting Out
Raised in the East Coast, the star commenced creating and acting humor while pursuing theatre at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she says. “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, appearing at open mics with Ayo and uploading hysterical (and very) unconventional online content online. One, Baby Cult, centered on a group of women fetishistically obsessed with pregnancy; a different one portrayed being employed at a trendy retail outlet as like being trapped in a scary movie. By chance, she connected with Emma through campus film circles and eventually starring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful comedy set at a religious event with shades of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her path, she says, has been people her own age giving her a shot, as opposed to established gatekeepers. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “They were not involved”, she confirms, continuing with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”
Manifesting Dreams
Those who had doubts about her earlier will surely be kicking themselves now. In what she labels a “wild, full-circle” development, she has manifested her dream vehicle. A few years back she uploaded a clip titled “it’s LA” online, in which she parodied Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Six years on, she’s a lead creator (with Emma Barrie) of a series about LA residents managing benefits of internet fame (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your client being labeled as being a substance-abusing thief, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” pariah). It would be easy to make a series about online fame that was extremely aspirational—or, even less favorable, one that mocked at its subjects. This show steers clear of each, resulting in a depiction of affluent twentysomething existence that’s frank about the grot and the shine.
Balanced Perspective
“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