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Rachel Sennott appears on the video call and right away begins an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, appearing really apologetic. Although she's only a bit late, she feels compelled to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Luckily, during an interview, this is just what you want to hear. Besides, it’s fairly predictable. Viewers familiar with her fearlessly openly gay and outspoken movie Bottoms—that she penned with Emma Seligman and starred in alongside her friend the talented actress—can be aware that Sennott holds plenty to say, be it on gender, relationships, or the appeal of starting a youth brawl society. Furthermore, once you finish the new eight-part program titled I Love LA, it is clear that she holds even more thoughts on the struggles of modern youth (Now in her thirties, she serves as a bridge for this generation, a tale-end millennial with a knack for connecting millennials and Gen Z).

Influences and Creative Vision

Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show can’t be avoided and the actress admits to being enthusiastic, referencing the show in addition to Sex and the City, Insecure and Atlanta as influences for I Love LA, which details the struggles of an influencer Tallulah and close companion who is also aspiring talent manager Maia. Notably, the biggest influence on concept belonged to the popular sitcom, the show about an emerging A-list actor navigating in an often-seedy entertainment industry (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott started watching it throughout lockdown, became “hooked”, and decided 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 idea for the series came—to some extent—from firsthand, initially rocky, move to LA and from the astrological phase, a frequently discussed occurrence for astrology heads. It was a time that saw her learn some big life lessons, work-wise and in private life. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she recalls. “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…”

Humble Origins

Growing up in Connecticut, the star started developing and showcasing comedy while studying acting at a prestigious arts school. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she says. “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. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”

Sennott took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at open mics with her friend and sharing hilarious (and decidedly) unconventional comedy videos online. One, titled Baby Cult, depicted a group of women obsessively fixated on having babies; a different one envisioned working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being caught in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she met Emma through NYU’s movie community and ultimately starring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a religious event with hints of the intense thriller. The central motif of her path, she explains, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, as opposed to traditional networks. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, continuing humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”

Rising Success

Those who had doubts about her previously will certainly be regretting it currently. In what she calls a “astonishingly complete” turn of events, she appears to manifested the perfect project. In 2019 she uploaded a video called on LA life online, in which she parodied Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Six years on, she’s the co-showrunner (with her partner) of a series about LA residents balancing benefits of internet fame (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with downsides (your associate being labeled as being a intoxicated stealer, and perhaps becoming a unreliable persona non grata). Some could simple to create a program about online fame that was extremely aspirational—or, more problematic, one that punched down at its subjects. The series avoids both, resulting in a depiction of advantaged millennial existence that’s candid about the grot and the shine.

Balanced Perspective

“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