The actress and writer discussing the hilarious comedy depicting that messy appeal of Gen Z lifestyle
Rachel Sennott joins the video call and immediately launches into an excuse. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, sounding truly regretful. Despite being only a couple of minutes late, 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!” Thankfully, during an interview, this is just what you want to encounter. Additionally, it’s quite unsurprising. Anyone familiar with her unapologetically queer and brash film titled Bottoms—that Sennott penned with the director and starred in together with her friend the talented actress—would be aware that Sennott holds plenty to discuss, whether about identity, relationships, or the pros of creating a high-school fight club. Furthermore, after watching the recent eight-part show I Love LA, it is clear that the star carries even more thoughts about the struggles of young adulthood (At 30, she is an honorary member for this generation, straddling eras with a knack for straddling millennials and Gen Z).
Inspirations and Storytelling Approach
Likenesses to the iconic series Girls can’t be avoided and Sennott readily acknowledges an admirer, referencing it together with Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and Donald Glover’s series as influences for her series, which follows the journey of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend and new agent Sennott’s character. Notably, the biggest spot on concept was reserved for the HBO series, the show focusing on an up-and-coming A-list actor succeeding in a corrupt Hollywood (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott began viewing it throughout COVID-19, became “hooked”, and chose to create a new version 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 concept for the series originated—to some extent—from personal, at first difficult, move to LA and from the cosmic event, a much-talked-about event for followers. It was an era that involved her grasp major insights, work-wise and in private life. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she says. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Starting Out
Raised in the East Coast, the star started writing and performing stand-up while studying performance at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she explains. “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.”
She seized control, performing at amateur nights with Ayo and sharing hilarious (and distinctly) weird skits on the internet. One, Baby Cult, depicted a group of women fetishistically fixated on pregnancy; another portrayed working at a trendy retail outlet as akin to being stuck in a horror film. By chance, she met Seligman through the university’s film scene and eventually appearing in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a funeral gathering with echoes of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her path, she says, has been people her own age offering opportunities, as opposed to established gatekeepers. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, stating humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Rising Success
Those who had doubts regarding Sennott earlier will certainly be kicking themselves currently. As part of she describes as a “wild, full-circle” development, she appears to created an ideal role. A few years back she posted a clip named about Los Angeles online, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s a lead creator (with the co-writer) of a show about Angelenos balancing the perks of internet fame (such as socializing at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being suspected of being a intoxicated thief, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” pariah). One might tempting to make a program about internet celebrity that was extremely glamorous—or, worse, one that mocked at those depicted. The series avoids both, creating a depiction of affluent young adult existence that’s frank about the mess and the shine.
Nuanced Portrayal
“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
