Rachel Sennott joins the digital interview and right away starts an excuse. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, seeming truly regretful. Although she's only a couple of minutes delayed, she wants to clarify. “My phone conversations always run long.” I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Thankfully, for a writer, that’s just what one hopes to experience. Moreover, it’s fairly unsurprising. Those who know the fearlessly openly gay and brash project Bottoms—that Sennott penned with Emma Seligman and appeared in alongside collaborator The Bear’s standout—would understand that Sennott possesses plenty to share, ranging from on roles, sex, or the pros of creating a youth fight club. And, by the end the recent eight-part HBO series I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she carries even more perspectives about the darker side of young adulthood (Now in her thirties, she represents an honorary member for this generation, on the cusp adept for connecting different age groups).
Guiding Lights and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and Sennott admits to being a fan, naming it in addition to the classic series, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as inspirations for her series, which details the journey of an influencer Tallulah and close companion and aspiring talent manager Maia. Perhaps, the largest influence on the moodboard was reserved for the HBO series, that program focusing on an up-and-coming A-list actor making his way in a gritty Hollywood (notable statement: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She started watching it amid lockdown, became “captivated”, and resolved to create a new version 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 says. The concept for this project came—to some extent—from her own, initially rocky, move to Tinseltown and from her saturn return, a popular phenomenon for followers. It was an era that involved her learn major truths, in her career and individually. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she says. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Early Beginnings
Growing up in New England, the star started creating and acting humor while studying acting at NYU’s Tisch. “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. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
She seized control, performing at open mics with her friend and uploading hysterical (and very) weird comedy videos online. One, Baby Cult, depicted several females intensely obsessed with motherhood; a different one imagined working at a trendy retail outlet as like being trapped in a horror film. In a neat twist of fate, she met Seligman through NYU’s movie community and ultimately featuring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, a tense comedy set at a funeral gathering with shades of Uncut Gems. The central motif of her career, she notes, has been people her own age supporting her, as opposed to the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she confirms, adding with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”
Manifesting Dreams
Anyone who had doubts regarding her previously will likely be kicking themselves today. Through she calls a “astonishingly complete” development, she has achieved her dream vehicle. A few years back she posted content called “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she mocked movie previews (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s a lead creator (with her partner) of a comedy about city dwellers managing benefits of digital stardom (such as partying at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being suspected of being a substance-abusing criminal, and possibly becoming a unreliable persona non grata). Some could simple to create a show about online fame that was overly glamorous—or, worse, one that punched down at those depicted. The series steers clear of each, making for a portrait of advantaged millennial existence that’s frank about the grot and the glamour.
Empathetic Approach
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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
