The comedic talent discussing her side-splitting comedy about that messy allure of today's youth existence
Rachel Sennott joins the online meeting and immediately starts an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, sounding genuinely apologetic. She is only slightly delayed, she needs to clarify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Thankfully, for a writer, this is precisely what is ideal to encounter. Additionally, it’s fairly predictable. Those who have seen her boldly queer and unapologetically crass movie Bottoms—which she co-wrote with Emma Seligman and featured in alongside collaborator the talented actress—would be aware that Sennott holds much to discuss, ranging from on identity, intimacy, or the pros of starting a youth fight club. Plus, once you finish the recent seasonal program titled I Love LA, viewers realize that she has further perspectives on the struggles of modern youth (As a millennial, Sennott serves as a relatable figure of the gang, a tale-end millennial skilled for straddling millennials and Gen Z).
Influences and Storytelling Approach
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s Girls are inevitable and the actress admits to being enthusiastic, naming the show alongside Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as guides for her series, which follows the struggles of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion and fledgling agent Sennott’s character. However, the largest influence on concept went to the popular sitcom, the program depicting an up-and-coming celebrity making his way in a corrupt entertainment industry (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She started watching it amid the pandemic, became “hooked”, and resolved to add a fresh perspective on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she notes. The concept for this project emerged—partly—from firsthand, initially fractious, move to LA and from the cosmic event, a much-talked-about event for followers. This represented a phase that saw her understand major truths, work-wise and personally. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she recalls. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Humble Origins
Raised in New England, Sennott began developing and showcasing humor while enrolled in performance at NYU’s Tisch. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she explains. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “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 live shows with her friend and sharing hysterical (and very) unconventional comedy videos digitally. One, Baby Cult, depicted characters intensely drawn to having babies; another imagined being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being caught in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she encountered Seligman through NYU’s movie community and ultimately featuring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a funeral gathering with echoes of Uncut Gems. The central motif of her path, she notes, has been contemporaries supporting her, instead of the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “They were not involved”, she repeats, adding humorously: “They don’t want us to win.”
Manifesting Dreams
Anyone who questioned regarding her earlier will certainly be regretting it now. As part of she calls a “astonishingly complete” development, she appears to achieved an ideal role. A few years back she posted content called on LA life online, in which she mocked film promos (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about city dwellers balancing the perks of internet fame (such as celebrating at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your client being suspected of being a intoxicated thief, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). It would be easy to produce a program about digital influence that was overly aspirational—or, worse, one that mocked at its subjects. This show avoids both, resulting in a portrait of privileged millennial existence that’s candid about the chaos and the glamour.
Balanced Perspective
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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