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Rachel Sennott joins the digital interview and immediately starts an explanation. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she states, appearing genuinely apologetic. Although she's only a couple of minutes late, she wants to clarify. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Fortunately, in this context, this is just what is ideal to experience. Besides, it’s fairly predictable. Viewers who know her fearlessly queer and outspoken project Bottoms—that Sennott co-wrote with the director and featured in alongside collaborator the talented actress—would understand that she holds much to share, ranging from about identity, intimacy, or the merits of forming a youth brawl society. Furthermore, after watching the recent eight-part show titled I Love LA, it is clear that she has even more insights regarding the struggles of modern youth (As a millennial, Sennott represents an honorary member of the gang, straddling eras with a knack for bridging both generations).

Inspirations and Artistic Direction

Parallels to Lena Dunham’s Girls can’t be avoided and the actress admits to being an admirer, referencing the show in addition to the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and the innovative program as inspirations for her series, which follows the journey of online personality Tallulah and ally who is also fledgling agent portrayed by Sennott. However, the largest spot on concept went to Entourage, that HBO sitcom depicting an up-and-coming Hollywood star succeeding in an often-seedy Hollywood (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott discovered it throughout COVID-19, became “captivated”, and resolved to put her own twist on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.

“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she notes. The idea for I Love LA emerged—partly—from her own, originally fractious, move to LA and from her cosmic event, a frequently discussed occurrence for enthusiasts. It was a time that included her grasp major life lessons, in her career and in private life. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she says. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”

Starting Out

Raised in New England, the star started developing and showcasing stand-up while enrolled in performance at NYU’s Tisch. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she says. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “None of the university plays cast me either.” “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”

Sennott took matters into her own hands, performing at open mics with Ayo and posting hysterical (and distinctly) unconventional online content digitally. A particular video, Baby Cult, depicted a group of women obsessively fixated on motherhood; another imagined being employed at the brand Hollister as akin to being caught in a scary movie. Interestingly, she connected with Seligman through the university’s film scene and eventually featuring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a funeral gathering with shades of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The big theme of her journey, she says, has been people her own age giving her a shot, as opposed to established gatekeepers. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, stating humorously: “They don’t want us to win.”

Rising Success

Those who had doubts about her then will certainly be kicking themselves currently. As part of she describes as a “wild, full-circle” development, she has manifested an ideal role. Previously she posted content called “it’s LA” online, in which she mocked film promos (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Six years on, she’s a lead creator (with her partner) of a series about Angelenos juggling the perks of digital stardom (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your client being accused of being a drug-addled criminal, and perhaps becoming a risky outcast). It would be tempting to create a series about online fame that was extremely idealized—or, worse, one that punched down at its subjects. I Love LA does neither, making for a portrait of advantaged millennial living that’s candid about the grot and the appeal.

Empathetic Approach

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