Rachel Sennott on the uproarious series portraying that grotty glamour of today's youth lifestyle

The star enters the online meeting and right away begins an excuse. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, sounding genuinely regretful. Despite being only a couple of minutes late, she feels compelled 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!” Luckily, in this context, this is precisely what is ideal to encounter. Additionally, it’s quite unsurprising. Anyone familiar with the fearlessly LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass project titled Bottoms—that Sennott collaborated on with Emma Seligman and appeared in alongside close companion the talented actress—would be aware that Sennott has plenty to discuss, be it about identity, sex, or the pros of creating a teen fight club. Furthermore, after watching the recent seasonal HBO series I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she has further thoughts regarding the struggles of young adulthood (As a millennial, Sennott serves as a bridge for this generation, on the cusp with a knack for bridging different age groups).

Inspirations and Storytelling Approach

Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show can’t be avoided and Sennott is enthusiastic, naming it alongside Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and Donald Glover’s series as inspirations for her series, which details the journey of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and ally who is also fledgling agent Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the largest influence on the moodboard went to the popular sitcom, the program about a rising A-list actor making his way in a gritty LA scene (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She started watching it during lockdown, became “captivated”, and decided to create a new version on it “for the girls and the gays”.

“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she says. The inspiration for I Love LA originated—partly—from firsthand, at first rocky, relocation to Los Angeles and from her cosmic event, a much-talked-about event for astrology heads. That period marked a phase that involved her learn major life lessons, in her career and personally. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she recalls. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”

Starting Out

Raised in the East Coast, Sennott started writing and performing stand-up while studying performance at a prestigious arts school. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she says. “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. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”

She took matters into her own hands, appearing at open mics with her friend and uploading hilarious (and distinctly) weird skits online. One, titled Baby Cult, depicted a group of women intensely fixated on having babies; another portrayed working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being trapped in a horror film. By chance, she connected with Seligman through campus film circles and ended up featuring in her first film, Shiva Baby, a tense film set at a religious event with echoes of Uncut Gems. The central motif of her journey, she says, has been people her own age offering opportunities, rather than established gatekeepers. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, stating humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”

Manifesting Dreams

Anyone who were skeptical regarding Sennott previously will surely be kicking themselves currently. Through she labels a “astonishingly complete” development, she appears to manifested an ideal role. A few years back she uploaded a clip named about Los Angeles online, in which she lampooned movie previews (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with her partner) of a show about LA residents managing the perks of online celebrity (such as celebrating at Elijah Wood’s house) with drawbacks (your client being suspected of being a substance-abusing criminal, and potentially becoming a unreliable outcast). Some could simple to make a show about online fame that was horribly aspirational—or, more problematic, one that punched down at the characters. The series steers clear of each, creating a portrait of affluent young adult life that’s honest about the mess and the shine.

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 observes. “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