Rachel Sennott on the hilarious series portraying that messy appeal of Gen Z lifestyle

The performer appears on the digital interview and at once starts an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she states, appearing truly remorseful. Although she's only a couple of minutes late, she feels compelled to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Fortunately, in this context, this is just what you want to encounter. Besides, it’s fairly predictable. Those familiar with her unapologetically openly gay and unapologetically crass film titled Bottoms—that Sennott co-wrote with Emma Seligman and starred in with close companion Ayo Edebiri—would understand that Sennott holds a lot to say, be it on gender, relationships, or the appeal of forming a teen fight club. Furthermore, once you finish her recent multi-episode HBO series I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star carries even more thoughts about the struggles of Gen Z life (Now in her thirties, she represents a relatable figure of the gang, straddling eras with a knack for straddling different age groups).

Guiding Lights and Storytelling Approach

Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls are inevitable and Sennott admits to being a fan, naming the show in addition to Sex and the City, Insecure and the innovative program as guides for her series, which follows the journey of online personality Tallulah and ally and new agent Sennott’s character. Notably, the biggest presence on the moodboard went to the popular sitcom, that show depicting an emerging A-list actor succeeding in a gritty LA scene (notable statement: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott discovered it during lockdown, became “obsessed”, and chose to add a fresh perspective on it “for the girls and the gays”.

“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she explains. The concept for this project emerged—to some extent—from her own, at first difficult, move to Tinseltown and from the astrological phase, a popular event for enthusiasts. That period marked a phase that saw her understand major life lessons, professionally and individually. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she recalls. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. It was almost like these biblical tests …”

Starting Out

Growing up in New England, Sennott started developing and showcasing stand-up while pursuing performance at a prestigious arts school. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she states. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” 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?”

She seized control, performing at amateur nights with her friend and uploading uproarious (and distinctly) unconventional online content online. One, Baby Cult, depicted a group of women obsessively drawn to motherhood; another imagined being employed at the brand Hollister as like being caught in a thriller. Interestingly, she encountered Emma through the university’s film scene and ultimately featuring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a funeral gathering with echoes of Uncut Gems. A recurring idea of her journey, she explains, has been people her own age offering opportunities, as opposed to established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, continuing humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”

Rising Success

Anyone who had doubts about Sennott previously will surely be kicking themselves today. Through she calls a “astonishingly complete” development, she appears to achieved an ideal role. A few years back she shared content called about Los Angeles on social media, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s a lead creator (with her partner) of a comedy about Angelenos balancing advantages of internet fame (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your client being labeled as being a substance-abusing thief, and possibly becoming a risky pariah). One might simple to create a show about online fame that was horribly idealized—or, more problematic, one that belittled at those depicted. The series does neither, resulting in a depiction of advantaged millennial life that’s honest about the grot and the appeal.

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 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

Kathryn Norris
Kathryn Norris

Elsa är en passionerad inredningsbloggare och hemstylist från Stockholm, med en kärlek för nordisk design och hållbar livsstil.