Rachel Sennott on the side-splitting show about that messy glamour of Gen Z lifestyle

The star appears on the video call and at once launches into an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she states, sounding genuinely regretful. Although she's only slightly delayed, she wants to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Fortunately, during an interview, that’s precisely what is ideal to hear. Besides, it’s pretty expected. Anyone familiar with the unapologetically openly gay and brash project titled Bottoms—which she penned with her creative partner and appeared in together with collaborator the talented actress—would understand that she holds much to share, whether about identity, sex, or the appeal of forming a high-school fight club. Furthermore, after watching her new eight-part HBO series I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she holds further thoughts about the challenges of Gen Z life (As a millennial, Sennott is an honorary member for this generation, on the cusp with a knack for connecting both generations).

Influences and Artistic Direction

Likenesses to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and Sennott readily acknowledges enthusiastic, citing it alongside Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as inspirations for the project, which tracks the travails of a social media star Tallulah and close companion and new agent portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the largest spot on the moodboard went to Entourage, that program depicting an emerging A-list actor succeeding in a gritty Hollywood (choice quote: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She started watching it throughout the pandemic, became “obsessed”, and chose to put her own twist on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.

“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she says. The concept for this project emerged—in part—from personal, originally rocky, relocation to Los Angeles and from her cosmic event, a popular occurrence for astrology heads. This represented an era that included her learn major insights, in her career and in private life. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she recalls. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. It was almost like these biblical tests …”

Humble Origins

Brought up in the East Coast, the star started writing and performing stand-up while pursuing performance at a prestigious arts school. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she explains. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”

Sennott took matters into her own hands, appearing at live shows with her friend and sharing uproarious (and distinctly) weird online content online. A particular video, Baby Cult, followed characters obsessively drawn to motherhood; another portrayed being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being caught in a horror film. By chance, she encountered Emma through campus film circles and eventually featuring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a funeral gathering with shades of Uncut Gems. A recurring idea of her path, she says, has been peers supporting her, as opposed to established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she emphasizes, stating with a laugh: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”

Rising Success

Individuals who questioned about Sennott previously will surely be regretting it now. As part of she describes as a “incredibly circular” development, she has achieved an ideal role. In 2019 she uploaded a video titled “it’s LA” online, in which she mocked film promos (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Years later, she’s the co-showrunner (with her partner) of a show about Angelenos juggling benefits of digital stardom (such as socializing at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your associate being accused of being a drug-addled thief, and potentially becoming a risky pariah). One might simple to create a program about internet celebrity that was extremely glamorous—or, worse, one that mocked at the characters. This show steers clear of each, resulting in a portrait of advantaged twentysomething living that’s frank about the grot and the appeal.

Balanced Perspective

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

Whitney Riley
Whitney Riley

Mila Vance is a digital strategist with over a decade of experience helping businesses optimize their online marketing efforts and achieve measurable growth.