Rachel Sennott on the side-splitting comedy about that grotty appeal of today's youth life

The star enters the video call and immediately begins an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, appearing really apologetic. She is only a bit late, she feels compelled 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!” Fortunately, for a writer, that’s exactly what is ideal to experience. Moreover, it’s quite expected. Anyone familiar with the boldly LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass film Bottoms—which Sennott penned with Emma Seligman and featured in together with collaborator the talented actress—will already know that Sennott possesses a lot to discuss, whether about identity, relationships, or the pros of forming a teen brawl society. Furthermore, once you finish the new seasonal program I Love LA, it is clear that the star carries further thoughts on the challenges of young adulthood (As a millennial, Sennott is a relatable figure to younger audiences, straddling eras adept for connecting both generations).

Influences and Storytelling Approach

Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show are inevitable and Sennott is a fan, citing the show alongside the classic series, Insecure and Donald Glover’s series as inspirations for her series, which follows the journey of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend who is also new talent manager Sennott’s character. Notably, the most significant presence on the moodboard was reserved for Entourage, that show about a rising A-list actor making his way in a corrupt LA scene (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott discovered it amid COVID-19, became “hooked”, and decided 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 notes. The concept for the series came—in part—from her own, at first fractious, move to Los Angeles and from her saturn return, a frequently discussed occurrence for astrology heads. It was an era that involved her learn major insights, professionally and individually. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she admits. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”

Starting Out

Raised in New England, the star began developing and showcasing humor while enrolled in theatre 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. “None of the university plays cast me either.” And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”

Sennott decided to act independently, taking the stage at open mics with her friend and uploading hysterical (and distinctly) bizarre online content on the internet. One, titled Baby Cult, centered on several females fetishistically fixated on pregnancy; a different one imagined being employed at a trendy retail outlet as akin to being caught in a scary movie. Interestingly, she encountered Seligman through the university’s film scene and ended up featuring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful comedy set at a religious event with echoes of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her career, she notes, has been people her own age offering opportunities, instead of traditional networks. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, stating amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”

Manifesting Dreams

Anyone who had doubts about Sennott then will surely be regretting it currently. As part of she calls a “astonishingly complete” development, she has created an ideal role. Previously she uploaded a clip titled on LA life online, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Six years on, she’s a lead creator (with Emma Barrie) of a show about Angelenos balancing the perks of digital stardom (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with its pitfalls (your client being suspected of being a drug-addled criminal, and potentially becoming a risky outcast). It would be easy to create a show about online fame that was overly idealized—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at its subjects. The series steers clear of each, resulting in a representation of privileged twentysomething living that’s frank about the mess and the glamour.

Balanced Perspective

“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” 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

Lisa Fuller
Lisa Fuller

A London-based business strategist with over a decade of experience in startup consulting and market analysis.