Rachel Sennott discussing her hilarious show about the messy allure of today's youth life

Rachel Sennott appears on the video call and at once begins an excuse. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, seeming truly regretful. Despite being only slightly behind, she wants to justify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Luckily, in this context, that’s exactly what is ideal to encounter. Moreover, it’s pretty expected. Anyone familiar with the boldly openly gay and brash film Bottoms—which she collaborated on with the director and appeared in alongside collaborator Ayo Edebiri—will already know that Sennott possesses a lot to share, whether on identity, relationships, or the appeal of forming a teen fight club. Furthermore, once you finish her latest eight-part HBO series titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she carries further perspectives on the darker side of young adulthood (At 30, Sennott is a bridge of the gang, straddling eras adept for straddling both generations).

Guiding Lights and Storytelling Approach

Parallels to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and Sennott readily acknowledges a fan, citing the show together with the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and the innovative program as inspirations for the project, which details the travails of online personality Tallulah and close companion and fledgling agent portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the largest influence on the moodboard was reserved for the HBO series, that program about a rising Hollywood star making his way in a gritty Hollywood (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott began viewing it throughout the pandemic, became “hooked”, and chose 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 notes. The concept for the series originated—to some extent—from personal, at first fractious, transition to Los Angeles and from her astrological phase, a popular phenomenon for followers. This represented an era that included her grasp significant truths, professionally and personally. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she says. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”

Early Beginnings

Brought up in New England, Sennott began creating and acting comedy while enrolled in performance at NYU’s Tisch. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she states. “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. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”

She decided to act independently, taking the stage at open mics with her friend and uploading uproarious (and decidedly) unconventional skits digitally. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, followed several females intensely obsessed with pregnancy; a different one envisioned working at the brand Hollister as similar to being stuck in a thriller. By chance, she met Emma through campus film circles and eventually featuring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful comedy set at a religious event with shades of the intense thriller. The central motif of her career, she says, has been people her own age supporting her, as opposed to established gatekeepers. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, continuing with a laugh: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”

Career Breakthrough

Individuals who questioned about Sennott previously will certainly be kicking themselves now. As part of she calls a “incredibly circular” story, she seems to have achieved an ideal role. Previously she posted a clip named “it’s LA” online, in which she lampooned film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with the co-writer) of a show about Angelenos balancing the perks of digital stardom (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with drawbacks (your client being accused of being a intoxicated stealer, and possibly becoming a risky pariah). It would be simple to produce a show about digital influence that was extremely glamorous—or, more problematic, one that belittled at the characters. The series does neither, creating a depiction of privileged twentysomething existence that’s honest about the grot and the glamour.

Balanced Perspective

“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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

Maria Hanson
Maria Hanson

A senior web developer with over 10 years of experience in creating custom digital solutions for diverse industries.