The actress and writer discussing her side-splitting series about that grotty glamour of younger generation existence

Rachel Sennott joins the digital interview and at once begins an explanation. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, seeming truly regretful. Although she's only a bit late, she wants to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Fortunately, in this context, that’s precisely what one hopes to encounter. Moreover, it’s quite expected. Anyone who know the unapologetically queer and unapologetically crass project Bottoms—that Sennott collaborated on with the director and starred in alongside her friend The Bear’s standout—can already know that she has much to say, ranging from about roles, intimacy, or the pros of creating a youth brawl society. Plus, by the end her new seasonal show I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star carries further perspectives about the challenges of modern youth (At 30, she represents a relatable figure to younger audiences, straddling eras adept for connecting different age groups).

Influences and Artistic Direction

The comparisons to the iconic series Girls can’t be avoided and Sennott is an admirer, naming it together with Sex and the City, Insecure and Atlanta as guides for I Love LA, which details the travails of an influencer Tallulah and her friend who is also aspiring representative Maia. However, the most significant influence on creative vision belonged to Entourage, that HBO sitcom about a rising Hollywood star succeeding in a corrupt entertainment industry (notable statement: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott began viewing it throughout COVID-19, became “captivated”, 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 inspiration for the series emerged—in part—from personal, originally rocky, relocation to LA and from the astrological phase, a much-talked-about phenomenon for astrology heads. That period marked a phase that included her grasp some big life lessons, in her career and individually. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she recalls. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”

Humble Origins

Brought up in the East Coast, the star commenced creating and acting humor while studying performance at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” 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.” “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”

She seized control, appearing at live shows with her friend and posting hilarious (and distinctly) unconventional online content online. A particular video, Baby Cult, depicted several females intensely drawn to pregnancy; another imagined working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being trapped in a horror film. Interestingly, she encountered Emma through NYU’s movie community and ended up starring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a Jewish wake with hints of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The big theme of her journey, she explains, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, as opposed to traditional networks. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, continuing with a laugh: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”

Career Breakthrough

Individuals who had doubts regarding her earlier will certainly be feeling foolish now. In what she describes as a “wild, full-circle” story, she appears to manifested the perfect project. Previously she posted content titled on LA life on social media, in which she parodied film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with the co-writer) of a show about Angelenos balancing the perks of online celebrity (such as socializing at a famous actor’s house) with drawbacks (your associate being labeled as being a substance-abusing stealer, and possibly becoming a risky outcast). It would be easy to create a show about internet celebrity that was extremely glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at the characters. This show does neither, resulting in a depiction of privileged twentysomething existence that’s honest about the chaos and the glamour.

Empathetic Approach

“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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

William Santos
William Santos

A blockchain analyst and fintech writer specializing in cryptocurrency markets and decentralized finance trends.