Rachel Sennott appears on the online meeting and right away starts an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, seeming really regretful. Although she's only a bit late, she wants to justify. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Luckily, during an interview, this is precisely what one hopes to hear. Besides, it’s fairly predictable. Those who know the fearlessly queer and brash project titled Bottoms—that Sennott collaborated on with her creative partner and starred in with close companion Ayo Edebiri—would understand that Sennott holds much to discuss, be it about roles, relationships, or the merits of creating a teen brawl society. Furthermore, once you finish her recent eight-part show titled I Love LA, it is clear that she holds further perspectives regarding the darker side of modern youth (At 30, Sennott is a relatable figure of the gang, a tale-end millennial skilled for bridging both generations).
Inspirations and Creative Vision
The comparisons to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and Sennott readily acknowledges an admirer, naming it in addition to Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and Donald Glover’s series as inspirations for the project, which tracks the struggles of an influencer Tallulah and her friend and fledgling agent Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the largest influence on concept was reserved for Entourage, that HBO sitcom focusing on an emerging A-list actor succeeding in a gritty entertainment industry (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She started watching it throughout the pandemic, became “hooked”, and chose to add a fresh perspective on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she explains. The idea for this project came—to some extent—from her own, at first difficult, transition to Los Angeles and from the cosmic event, a popular event for astrology heads. It was an era that involved her learn significant 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 recalls. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Starting Out
Brought up in New England, the star began writing and performing humor while enrolled in acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she states. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, performing at amateur nights with Ayo and uploading uproarious (and decidedly) weird skits digitally. A particular video, Baby Cult, followed several females fetishistically obsessed with motherhood; another imagined being employed at a trendy retail outlet as akin to being trapped in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she connected with Seligman through the university’s film scene and eventually featuring in her first film, Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a funeral gathering with hints of the Safdie brothers’ movie. A recurring idea of her path, she says, has been contemporaries offering opportunities, as opposed to traditional networks. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, continuing with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”
Career Breakthrough
Individuals who were skeptical about her then will likely be feeling foolish today. In what she labels a “astonishingly complete” development, she seems to have manifested the perfect project. A few years back she shared a clip named on LA life on social media, in which she lampooned movie previews (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a series about Angelenos juggling advantages of online celebrity (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your client being accused of being a intoxicated criminal, and possibly becoming a unreliable persona non grata). Some could simple to make a show about internet celebrity that was extremely glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that belittled at its subjects. This show does neither, creating a portrait of privileged millennial existence that’s candid about the chaos and the appeal.
Empathetic Approach
“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
