Rachel Sennott enters the online meeting and at once launches into an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, appearing genuinely apologetic. Although she's only a bit behind, she needs to justify. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Fortunately, during an interview, this is just what one hopes to hear. Moreover, it’s quite expected. Anyone familiar with the boldly LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass project titled Bottoms—which Sennott collaborated on with her creative partner and appeared in alongside collaborator the talented actress—will already know that she has a lot to discuss, be it on roles, sex, or the pros of forming a high-school fight club. And, once you finish the recent seasonal show titled I Love LA, viewers realize that the star carries additional thoughts about the struggles of Gen Z life (As a millennial, she represents a bridge to younger audiences, on the cusp with a knack for straddling different age groups).
Inspirations and Creative Vision
Parallels to the iconic series Girls can’t be avoided and the actress readily acknowledges an admirer, citing it alongside the classic series, Insecure and the innovative program as inspirations for the project, which details the struggles of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend and new talent manager Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the biggest spot on concept was reserved for Entourage, the HBO sitcom about an up-and-coming A-list actor navigating in a corrupt LA scene (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She discovered it during COVID-19, became “captivated”, and resolved to put her own twist on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she explains. The concept for the series came—to some extent—from firsthand, at first difficult, transition to Los Angeles and from her cosmic event, a frequently discussed phenomenon for enthusiasts. It was a phase that saw her understand major life lessons, professionally and in private life. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she says. “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
Raised in New England, the star began creating and acting comedy while pursuing performance at NYU’s Tisch. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she says. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
Sennott decided to act independently, taking the stage at live shows with her friend and posting hilarious (and distinctly) weird online content digitally. A particular video, Baby Cult, centered on a group of women fetishistically drawn to pregnancy; a different one portrayed being employed at a trendy retail outlet as akin to being trapped in a scary movie. By chance, she met Emma through NYU’s movie community and ended up appearing in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a religious event with hints of the intense thriller. The big theme of her journey, she says, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, as opposed to the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, stating amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Those who were skeptical about Sennott then will surely be regretting it currently. In what she labels a “astonishingly complete” turn of events, she seems to have created an ideal role. In 2019 she uploaded content called about Los Angeles online, in which she parodied film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a show about LA residents balancing benefits of online celebrity (such as socializing at a famous actor’s house) with drawbacks (your client being accused of being a drug-addled thief, and perhaps becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). One might simple to create a program about digital influence that was horribly aspirational—or, worse, one that mocked at its subjects. This show steers clear of each, resulting in a depiction of advantaged millennial existence that’s frank about the mess and the appeal.
Empathetic Approach
“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
