Rachel Sennott exploring her uproarious comedy depicting that grotty appeal of younger generation existence
The star enters the digital interview and immediately starts an apology. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, sounding genuinely regretful. She is only a couple of minutes late, she needs to justify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Fortunately, for a writer, this is precisely what is ideal to hear. Additionally, it’s fairly predictable. Anyone familiar with the boldly queer and unapologetically crass film Bottoms—which Sennott penned with Emma Seligman and starred in together with collaborator Ayo Edebiri—can be aware that she possesses plenty to discuss, whether about gender, intimacy, or the pros of forming a teen brawl society. Plus, by the end her recent multi-episode HBO series titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she has further thoughts on the struggles of Gen Z life (Now in her thirties, she serves as a relatable figure to younger audiences, a tale-end millennial skilled for connecting millennials and Gen Z).
Guiding Lights and Storytelling Approach
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and the actress admits to being a fan, naming it in addition to the HBO hit, Insecure and the innovative program as inspirations for her series, which details the travails of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend and fledgling representative Sennott’s character. Notably, the most significant influence on creative vision went to the HBO series, the program about an up-and-coming A-list actor navigating in a gritty Hollywood (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott started watching it during COVID-19, became “captivated”, and resolved to add a fresh perspective on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she says. The idea for the series emerged—to some extent—from firsthand, initially fractious, relocation to Tinseltown and from the astrological phase, a frequently discussed phenomenon for enthusiasts. This represented a time that included her understand major truths, work-wise and personally. “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…”
Early Beginnings
Raised in Connecticut, Sennott commenced writing and performing comedy while pursuing acting at NYU’s Tisch. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she explains. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “None of the university plays cast me either.” “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
She took matters into her own hands, performing at open mics with her friend and sharing uproarious (and decidedly) weird comedy videos digitally. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, followed several females intensely obsessed with pregnancy; a different one imagined being employed at the brand Hollister as like being caught in a thriller. By chance, she met Emma through NYU’s movie community and ultimately starring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a Jewish wake with echoes of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her career, she notes, has been contemporaries supporting her, rather than established gatekeepers. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “They were not involved”, she repeats, continuing with a laugh: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Individuals who had doubts about Sennott previously will certainly be feeling foolish currently. In what she labels a “wild, full-circle” development, she appears to created her dream vehicle. In 2019 she uploaded content called “it’s LA” online, in which she parodied film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about city dwellers balancing the perks of digital stardom (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your associate being suspected of being a substance-abusing thief, and potentially becoming a risky pariah). Some could simple to create a show about digital influence that was overly aspirational—or, worse, one that belittled at the characters. This show does neither, making for a depiction of privileged twentysomething living that’s honest about the grot and the shine.
Nuanced Portrayal
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” she says. “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