Rachel Sennott joins the video call and immediately begins an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she states, appearing genuinely remorseful. Despite being only slightly behind, she feels compelled to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Fortunately, in this context, this is exactly what you want to experience. Moreover, it’s fairly unsurprising. Anyone familiar with the fearlessly queer and outspoken project titled Bottoms—which Sennott co-wrote with the director and starred in together with close companion Ayo Edebiri—would already know that Sennott possesses a lot to say, be it on roles, intimacy, or the pros of creating a high-school combat group. Furthermore, after watching the latest seasonal program titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she holds even more insights regarding the challenges of Gen Z life (Now in her thirties, she serves as a bridge of the gang, on the cusp adept for connecting both generations).
Guiding Lights and Creative Vision
The comparisons to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and Sennott readily acknowledges a fan, referencing the show alongside Sex and the City, Insecure and the innovative program as guides for the project, which follows the struggles of online personality Tallulah and close companion who is also new talent manager Maia. Notably, the largest presence on concept was reserved for the HBO series, the show depicting a rising Hollywood star succeeding in an often-seedy entertainment industry (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She discovered it during the pandemic, became “obsessed”, and chose to add a fresh perspective on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she says. The inspiration for this project emerged—to some extent—from firsthand, initially rocky, relocation to Los Angeles and from her astrological phase, a frequently discussed occurrence for enthusiasts. That period marked a phase that included her learn major insights, in her career and personally. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she admits. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Starting Out
Brought up in Connecticut, Sennott commenced developing and showcasing comedy while studying performance at a prestigious arts school. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she says. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “None of the university plays cast me either.” “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
She took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at amateur nights with her friend and sharing hilarious (and distinctly) bizarre skits online. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, followed a group of women obsessively fixated on having babies; a different one portrayed being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being stuck in a scary movie. By chance, she connected with Seligman through the university’s film scene and ultimately starring in her first film, Shiva Baby, a tense comedy set at a funeral gathering with shades of the intense thriller. The big theme of her journey, she notes, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, as opposed to the industry at large. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “They were not involved”, she confirms, stating with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”
Rising Success
Those who questioned regarding Sennott previously will likely be regretting it now. As part of she describes as a “astonishingly complete” turn of events, she seems to have achieved her dream vehicle. In 2019 she posted content named “it’s LA” online, in which she mocked film promos (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Six years on, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a series about city dwellers balancing advantages of digital stardom (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being accused of being a drug-addled thief, and possibly becoming a risky pariah). Some could tempting to produce a show about online fame that was horribly glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that belittled at the characters. This show does neither, making for a representation of advantaged millennial living that’s candid about the mess and the shine.
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 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
