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Rachel Sennott appears on the digital interview and at once starts an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, sounding really remorseful. Although she's only a couple of minutes delayed, she wants to clarify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Fortunately, in this context, this is just what one hopes to encounter. Additionally, it’s quite expected. Viewers who know the unapologetically queer and outspoken movie Bottoms—that she co-wrote with her creative partner and appeared in with her friend the talented actress—can understand that she possesses much to say, be it on identity, sex, or the merits of forming a high-school brawl society. And, once you finish the new eight-part show I Love LA, viewers realize that she holds even more insights regarding the darker side of modern youth (As a millennial, Sennott serves as an honorary member to younger audiences, straddling eras skilled for bridging both generations).

Guiding Lights and Storytelling Approach

The comparisons to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and Sennott readily acknowledges a fan, citing it together with the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as inspirations for I Love LA, which details the struggles of a social media star Tallulah and her friend who is also new talent manager Maia. Notably, the most significant presence on creative vision went to the HBO series, the show depicting an emerging A-list actor making his way in an often-seedy entertainment industry (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott began viewing it amid the pandemic, became “hooked”, and resolved to create a new version on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.

“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she says. The concept for I Love LA emerged—to some extent—from her own, originally fractious, move to Tinseltown and from the cosmic event, a much-talked-about occurrence for astrology heads. That period marked a phase that saw her understand significant life lessons, work-wise and individually. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she admits. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”

Early Beginnings

Growing up in Connecticut, Sennott began creating and acting stand-up while pursuing theatre at NYU’s Tisch. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she says. “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?”

She took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at open mics with Ayo and sharing hysterical (and distinctly) unconventional comedy videos on the internet. A particular video, Baby Cult, centered on a group of women obsessively drawn to pregnancy; another imagined being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being stuck in a scary movie. By chance, she connected with Seligman through NYU’s movie community and ultimately starring in her initial project, Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a funeral gathering with shades of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her journey, she says, has been peers giving her a shot, rather than the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she confirms, adding with a laugh: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”

Manifesting Dreams

Anyone who questioned regarding Sennott previously will surely be kicking themselves now. As part of she describes as a “astonishingly complete” story, she appears to created the perfect project. A few years back she posted a video named about Los Angeles on the internet, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a comedy about Angelenos balancing the perks of internet fame (such as socializing at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being accused of being a intoxicated stealer, and possibly becoming a risky outcast). One might easy to create a series about digital influence that was horribly idealized—or, worse, one that punched down at the characters. I Love LA does neither, making for a depiction of advantaged young adult life that’s honest about the mess and the glamour.

Nuanced Portrayal

“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” 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