Rachel Sennott joins the video call and right away launches into an apology. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, appearing really remorseful. Despite being only a bit delayed, she feels compelled to justify. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Thankfully, during an interview, this is precisely what is ideal to hear. Additionally, it’s quite predictable. Anyone familiar with the boldly queer and outspoken film Bottoms—which Sennott penned with Emma Seligman and featured in together with collaborator The Bear’s standout—will understand that she possesses plenty to say, ranging from on identity, sex, or the merits of starting a high-school brawl society. And, by the end the recent eight-part show titled I Love LA, it is clear that she carries further insights regarding the struggles of modern youth (As a millennial, Sennott represents a bridge of the gang, a tale-end millennial adept for bridging different age groups).
Guiding Lights and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and Sennott admits to being an admirer, referencing it alongside Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and Donald Glover’s series as guides for I Love LA, which details the journey of a social media star Tallulah and ally and fledgling agent Maia. Notably, the most significant spot on the moodboard went to the HBO series, the HBO sitcom focusing on an up-and-coming Hollywood star succeeding in a gritty LA scene (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She discovered it amid the pandemic, 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 inspiration for this project came—partly—from personal, initially fractious, transition to LA and from her astrological phase, a much-talked-about event for astrology heads. It was a phase that saw her grasp significant insights, in her career and in private life. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she admits. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Starting Out
Brought up in the East Coast, Sennott started developing and showcasing comedy while pursuing theatre at NYU’s Tisch. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she states. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
She decided to act independently, performing at amateur nights with her friend and uploading hilarious (and decidedly) unconventional skits online. A particular video, Baby Cult, depicted a group of women intensely drawn to having babies; a different one portrayed working at the brand Hollister as akin to being stuck in a horror film. Interestingly, she connected with Seligman through the university’s film scene and ultimately featuring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a Jewish wake with echoes of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her journey, she explains, has been peers giving her a shot, rather than established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she repeats, stating amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”
Career Breakthrough
Anyone who had doubts regarding Sennott earlier will certainly be kicking themselves today. As part of she labels a “incredibly circular” turn of events, she seems to have achieved the perfect project. Previously she posted content named on LA life on social media, in which she mocked film promos (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Years later, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a show about Angelenos balancing the perks of digital stardom (such as socializing at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being labeled as being a substance-abusing thief, and perhaps becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). Some could tempting to make a program about digital influence that was overly idealized—or, even less favorable, one that belittled at those depicted. This show does neither, resulting in a depiction of privileged young adult existence that’s honest about the grot and the shine.
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
