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Rachel Sennott appears on the video call and at once starts an excuse. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, appearing genuinely remorseful. Although she's only a couple of minutes late, she needs to clarify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Thankfully, during an interview, this is just what one hopes to encounter. Moreover, it’s quite expected. Those who know her fearlessly LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass project Bottoms—which Sennott co-wrote with the director and starred in with collaborator Ayo Edebiri—can understand that Sennott has plenty to share, ranging from on gender, relationships, or the appeal of forming a youth combat group. Furthermore, after watching her recent eight-part show I Love LA, it is clear that the star carries even more insights regarding the darker side of modern youth (Now in her thirties, she represents a relatable figure to younger audiences, on the cusp adept for connecting both generations).

Guiding Lights and Storytelling Approach

Likenesses to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and Sennott admits to being an admirer, citing the show in addition to the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and the innovative program as guides for I Love LA, which details the travails of an influencer Tallulah and her friend who is also fledgling representative Maia. However, the most significant presence on concept was reserved for the popular sitcom, the HBO sitcom focusing on an up-and-coming Hollywood star making his way in an often-seedy LA scene (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott started watching it amid lockdown, became “captivated”, and chose to create a new version on it “for the girls and the gays”.

“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she explains. The concept for I Love LA emerged—to some extent—from personal, initially fractious, relocation to LA and from the astrological phase, a much-talked-about event for astrology heads. This represented a phase that involved her understand some big insights, professionally and in private life. “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…”

Early Beginnings

Raised in New England, the star commenced writing and performing humor while pursuing theatre at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she explains. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”

She decided to act independently, performing at open mics with Edebiri and posting hilarious (and distinctly) weird skits on the internet. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, depicted several females obsessively fixated on motherhood; another envisioned being employed at a trendy retail outlet as similar to being trapped in a horror film. In a neat twist of fate, she connected with Seligman through NYU’s movie community and ended up appearing in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a Jewish wake with echoes of Uncut Gems. A recurring idea of her path, she explains, has been people her own age offering opportunities, rather than the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, continuing with a laugh: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”

Manifesting Dreams

Individuals who questioned regarding Sennott previously will certainly be regretting it now. In what she labels a “wild, full-circle” turn of events, she has created the perfect project. Previously she posted a video titled “it’s LA” online, in which she parodied Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with Emma Barrie) of a series about LA residents juggling the perks of internet fame (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with drawbacks (your client being labeled as being a drug-addled thief, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” pariah). One might tempting to create a series about digital influence that was extremely idealized—or, more problematic, one that belittled at those depicted. I Love LA avoids both, resulting in a depiction of affluent twentysomething existence that’s honest about the mess and the appeal.

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