The actress and writer discussing her side-splitting series about the chaotic appeal of younger generation life
Rachel Sennott enters the digital interview and immediately begins an excuse. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, seeming genuinely apologetic. Despite being only a couple of minutes delayed, she feels compelled to clarify. “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!” Fortunately, during an interview, that’s just what one hopes to hear. Additionally, it’s pretty predictable. Anyone who know the boldly openly gay and unapologetically crass project titled Bottoms—that she penned with the director and appeared in with her friend the talented actress—would understand that Sennott holds plenty to say, ranging from on gender, intimacy, or the merits of starting a high-school brawl society. Plus, after watching the recent multi-episode program I Love LA, viewers realize that the star carries further insights regarding the challenges of modern youth (As a millennial, she is an honorary member for this generation, a tale-end millennial adept for bridging both generations).
Inspirations and Creative Vision
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and Sennott readily acknowledges enthusiastic, naming it in addition to Sex and the City, Insecure and the innovative program as influences for her series, which details the struggles of a social media star Tallulah and her friend and aspiring talent manager portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the most significant spot on the moodboard belonged to the HBO series, that HBO sitcom depicting a rising Hollywood star making his way in a corrupt entertainment industry (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott started watching it throughout the pandemic, became “obsessed”, and resolved to add a fresh perspective 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 says. The idea for this project originated—partly—from her own, originally fractious, relocation to LA and from the astrological phase, a much-talked-about phenomenon for astrology heads. It was a time that saw her understand some big life lessons, professionally and individually. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she says. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Humble Origins
Raised in Connecticut, Sennott commenced creating and acting humor while studying acting at NYU’s Tisch. “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. “None of the university plays cast me either.” And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She decided to act independently, taking the stage at live shows with her friend and sharing uproarious (and distinctly) weird comedy videos on the internet. A particular video, Baby Cult, followed several females obsessively fixated on pregnancy; a different one envisioned being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being stuck in a thriller. In a neat twist of fate, she connected with Seligman through the university’s film scene and ultimately featuring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, a tense film set at a religious event with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. A recurring idea of her path, she says, has been peers offering opportunities, instead of traditional networks. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, stating amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”
Rising Success
Anyone who had doubts regarding Sennott earlier will surely be regretting it now. As part of she describes as a “wild, full-circle” turn of events, she has created her dream vehicle. Previously she posted a video titled “it’s LA” on social media, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Years later, she’s the co-showrunner (with the co-writer) of a show about city dwellers managing benefits of online celebrity (such as socializing at a celebrity’s house) with drawbacks (your client being labeled as being a intoxicated thief, and perhaps becoming a risky pariah). It would be simple to produce a series about online fame that was horribly glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that belittled at those depicted. The series does neither, creating a portrait of affluent twentysomething existence that’s candid about the chaos and the shine.
Balanced Perspective
“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” 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
