Rachel Sennott on her side-splitting show depicting that chaotic glamour of Gen Z existence
Rachel Sennott appears on the digital interview and immediately starts an excuse. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she states, appearing truly remorseful. She is only slightly 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!” Luckily, for a writer, this is precisely what one hopes to encounter. Besides, it’s quite unsurprising. Those who know her fearlessly queer and brash project titled Bottoms—which Sennott collaborated on with Emma Seligman and starred in with her friend Ayo Edebiri—will already know that she possesses a lot to say, ranging from about identity, relationships, or the merits of starting a youth combat group. Furthermore, after watching the latest seasonal HBO series titled I Love LA, it is clear that she holds even more thoughts about the struggles of modern youth (At 30, Sennott represents a bridge of the gang, straddling eras skilled for straddling both generations).
Guiding Lights and Creative Vision
The comparisons to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and the actress readily acknowledges a fan, naming the show in addition to Sex and the City, Insecure and the innovative program as guides for her series, which follows the journey of an influencer Tallulah and ally and new agent Sennott’s character. However, the largest spot on creative vision went to the popular sitcom, that HBO sitcom focusing on an up-and-coming celebrity succeeding in a gritty LA scene (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott started watching it throughout the pandemic, became “captivated”, and decided to put her own twist on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she notes. The concept for this project originated—in part—from her own, initially rocky, transition to Los Angeles and from her cosmic event, a much-talked-about phenomenon for astrology heads. That period marked a time that included her understand significant life lessons, in her career and individually. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she admits. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Humble Origins
Raised in New England, Sennott began creating and acting humor while pursuing performance at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she states. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “None of the university plays cast me either.” And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She seized control, taking the stage at open mics with Edebiri and sharing uproarious (and distinctly) weird skits online. One, titled Baby Cult, followed several females fetishistically fixated on motherhood; a different one imagined being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being caught in a scary movie. By chance, she encountered Seligman through campus film circles and ended up featuring in her initial project, Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a funeral gathering with shades of the intense thriller. The central motif of her journey, she notes, has been people her own age giving her a shot, as opposed to established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she confirms, continuing humorously: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Rising Success
Anyone who had doubts regarding her previously will surely be regretting it today. Through she calls a “wild, full-circle” development, she has manifested her dream vehicle. Previously she shared a clip called on LA life online, in which she lampooned film promos (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). 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 drawbacks (your friend being accused of being a substance-abusing criminal, and perhaps becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). Some could tempting to create a series about online fame that was horribly glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at the characters. This show does neither, resulting in a depiction of affluent twentysomething living that’s honest about the mess and the appeal.
Empathetic Approach
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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