Rachel Sennott appears on the digital interview and immediately begins an apology. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, sounding genuinely remorseful. She is only a couple of minutes late, she wants to justify. “My phone conversations always run long.” I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Thankfully, for a writer, this is just what is ideal to experience. Additionally, it’s pretty unsurprising. Viewers who have seen her unapologetically LGBTQ+ and outspoken film Bottoms—which she penned with her creative partner and featured in with her friend The Bear’s standout—will already know that she has much to discuss, ranging from on identity, intimacy, or the appeal of creating a high-school combat group. Plus, once you finish the recent multi-episode HBO series titled I Love LA, it is clear that the star carries additional thoughts on the darker side of Gen Z life (Now in her thirties, she represents a relatable figure of the gang, a tale-end millennial with a knack for straddling different age groups).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and the actress admits to being an admirer, citing it together with the classic series, Insecure and the innovative program as guides for her series, which follows the travails of a social media star Tallulah and close companion and new agent portrayed by Sennott. However, the largest presence on concept belonged to Entourage, the program about an up-and-coming A-list actor navigating in an often-seedy Hollywood (notable statement: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott began viewing it amid lockdown, became “hooked”, and chose to create a new version on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she explains. The concept for this project emerged—to some extent—from personal, initially difficult, relocation to LA and from the saturn return, a much-talked-about phenomenon for enthusiasts. This represented an era that involved her grasp significant insights, work-wise and personally. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she recalls. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Starting Out
Growing up in Connecticut, the star commenced writing and performing stand-up while enrolled in theatre at a prestigious arts school. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she says. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at amateur nights with Ayo and sharing hilarious (and decidedly) weird online content digitally. One, Baby Cult, centered on characters intensely drawn to pregnancy; another imagined working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being trapped in a horror film. In a neat twist of fate, she met Seligman through NYU’s movie community and eventually featuring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a funeral gathering with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. A recurring idea of her career, she explains, has been contemporaries offering opportunities, as opposed to traditional networks. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, stating with a laugh: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Manifesting Dreams
Anyone who were skeptical regarding her then will surely be feeling foolish currently. In what she describes as a “incredibly circular” turn of events, she seems to have created an ideal role. Previously she shared content titled about Los Angeles online, in which she lampooned movie previews (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a comedy about city dwellers managing advantages of digital stardom (such as partying at a famous actor’s house) with drawbacks (your friend being suspected of being a intoxicated criminal, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” pariah). One might simple to create a show about internet celebrity that was extremely aspirational—or, more problematic, one that punched down at its subjects. This show avoids both, creating a depiction of advantaged twentysomething existence that’s candid about the mess and the shine.
Nuanced Portrayal
“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
