The actress and writer on her side-splitting comedy portraying that messy appeal of younger generation existence
Rachel Sennott joins the digital interview and at once begins an excuse. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, appearing genuinely remorseful. Although she's only a couple of minutes delayed, she feels compelled to justify. “My phone conversations always run long.” I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Luckily, during an interview, this is exactly what one hopes to experience. Besides, it’s quite unsurprising. Those familiar with the boldly queer and brash movie Bottoms—which Sennott collaborated on with her creative partner and appeared in with close companion Ayo Edebiri—can already know that Sennott holds plenty to share, ranging from about gender, relationships, or the merits of forming a teen combat group. Plus, after watching the recent seasonal HBO series I Love LA, it is clear that she has further perspectives on the darker side of Gen Z life (Now in her thirties, Sennott serves as a relatable figure of the gang, straddling eras skilled for bridging both generations).
Influences and Creative Vision
Likenesses to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and Sennott readily acknowledges a fan, citing the show in addition to the HBO hit, Insecure and the innovative program as influences for the project, which follows the journey of online personality Tallulah and close companion and aspiring representative portrayed by Sennott. However, the biggest spot on creative vision went to Entourage, that HBO sitcom focusing on a rising celebrity navigating in an often-seedy Hollywood (memorable line: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She began viewing it throughout lockdown, became “obsessed”, and chose to add a fresh perspective on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she says. The inspiration for the series originated—to some extent—from her own, initially difficult, transition to LA and from the cosmic event, a much-talked-about occurrence for astrology heads. That period marked a phase that involved her understand some big life lessons, in her career and personally. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she admits. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Starting Out
Brought up in New England, Sennott began writing and performing humor while enrolled in performance at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she says. “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. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, appearing at open mics with Edebiri and uploading hysterical (and distinctly) bizarre online content online. One, Baby Cult, centered on a group of women fetishistically obsessed with having babies; a different one envisioned working at a trendy retail outlet as akin to being caught in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she connected with Emma through campus film circles and ultimately featuring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a Jewish wake with shades of the intense thriller. The central motif of her path, she explains, has been people her own age giving her a shot, rather than established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she repeats, adding amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Those who questioned about Sennott earlier will likely be feeling foolish today. As part of she describes as a “incredibly circular” development, she has achieved an ideal role. In 2019 she shared a clip titled on LA life on social media, in which she lampooned film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with her partner) of a comedy about city dwellers managing benefits of digital stardom (such as socializing at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your client being suspected of being a substance-abusing thief, and potentially becoming a risky persona non grata). It would be simple to produce a program about digital influence that was overly aspirational—or, more problematic, one that belittled at those depicted. This show steers clear of each, making for a representation of privileged millennial life that’s candid about the mess and the glamour.
Nuanced Portrayal
“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