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Rachel Sennott appears on the online meeting and at once launches into an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she states, seeming genuinely regretful. Although she's only a couple of minutes behind, she wants to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, in this context, that’s precisely what you want to encounter. Moreover, it’s quite expected. Viewers familiar with her boldly LGBTQ+ and brash project Bottoms—which Sennott co-wrote with the director and featured in alongside close companion the talented actress—would already know that Sennott possesses much to share, whether on roles, sex, or the pros of forming a teen combat group. And, after watching the recent multi-episode show titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star has even more perspectives about the struggles of modern youth (At 30, she represents a relatable figure of the gang, on the cusp with a knack for bridging millennials and Gen Z).

Inspirations and Storytelling Approach

Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and the actress readily acknowledges a fan, referencing it in addition to the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as guides for her series, which tracks the journey of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion who is also new talent manager Maia. Perhaps, the most significant influence on concept belonged to the HBO series, that HBO sitcom about an emerging celebrity navigating in a gritty entertainment industry (memorable line: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott began viewing it throughout lockdown, became “hooked”, and decided to create a new version on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.

“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she says. The inspiration for the series came—to some extent—from her own, at first rocky, move to Tinseltown and from her astrological phase, a frequently discussed event for astrology heads. That period marked a phase that included her learn major insights, work-wise and in private life. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she admits. “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 …”

Starting Out

Growing up in Connecticut, Sennott commenced writing and performing humor while enrolled in theatre at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she states. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. 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 took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at amateur nights with her friend and sharing hilarious (and distinctly) weird online content digitally. One, Baby Cult, centered on characters fetishistically drawn to having babies; a different one portrayed being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being stuck in a horror film. Interestingly, she met Seligman through campus film circles and eventually starring in her first film, Shiva Baby, a tense film set at a funeral gathering with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her career, she explains, has been contemporaries offering opportunities, as opposed to the industry at large. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, adding amusedly: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”

Manifesting Dreams

Those who questioned about Sennott previously will likely be kicking themselves now. In what she describes as a “wild, full-circle” story, she seems to have manifested the perfect project. Previously she shared a video titled about Los Angeles on the internet, in which she lampooned film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Years later, she’s the co-showrunner (with the co-writer) of a show about city dwellers balancing benefits of internet fame (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being suspected of being a intoxicated criminal, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). One might easy to produce a series about digital influence that was horribly aspirational—or, worse, one that belittled at its subjects. I Love LA avoids both, resulting in a portrait of advantaged millennial life that’s candid about the grot and the shine.

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