Rachel Sennott appears on the online meeting and right away begins an excuse. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she states, seeming really regretful. Although she's only a couple of minutes delayed, she needs to explain. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Fortunately, in this context, that’s just what one hopes to experience. Moreover, it’s pretty unsurprising. Those familiar with her boldly LGBTQ+ and outspoken film titled Bottoms—which she collaborated on with Emma Seligman and appeared in with close companion Ayo Edebiri—would understand that she has a lot to say, be it on identity, relationships, or the merits of creating a teen brawl society. Plus, after watching the recent eight-part HBO series titled I Love LA, it is clear that the star carries additional thoughts regarding the struggles of Gen Z life (At 30, Sennott serves as a bridge for this generation, straddling eras adept for straddling different age groups).
Guiding Lights and Creative Vision
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s Girls can’t be avoided and the actress is a fan, citing it alongside Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as influences for her series, which tracks the journey of an influencer Tallulah and close companion and new representative Maia. Notably, the most significant presence on creative vision was reserved for Entourage, the program about a rising celebrity making his way in a corrupt Hollywood (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She started watching it during COVID-19, became “hooked”, and chose to add a fresh perspective on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she says. The idea for the series originated—in part—from personal, initially fractious, relocation to LA and from the saturn return, a frequently discussed phenomenon for followers. This represented a phase that saw her grasp significant truths, work-wise and in private life. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she recalls. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Early Beginnings
Brought up in the East Coast, the star commenced writing and performing comedy while studying performance at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she explains. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She took matters into her own hands, performing at amateur nights with her friend and posting uproarious (and decidedly) unconventional online content on the internet. One, Baby Cult, centered on a group of women fetishistically fixated on having babies; another imagined being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being trapped in a horror film. By chance, she connected with Seligman through the university’s film scene and ultimately appearing in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a religious event with echoes of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her path, she notes, has been people her own age supporting her, as opposed to traditional networks. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, adding with a laugh: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Rising Success
Individuals who were skeptical about her then will surely be feeling foolish now. In what she labels a “astonishingly complete” story, she seems to have created the perfect project. Previously she posted content called about Los Angeles online, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a show about LA residents balancing the perks of internet fame (such as socializing at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your friend being suspected of being a substance-abusing stealer, and potentially becoming a risky outcast). Some could simple to produce a series about digital influence that was horribly glamorous—or, more problematic, one that punched down at those depicted. The series does neither, making for a portrait of affluent young adult life that’s frank about the grot and the shine.
Nuanced Portrayal
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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
