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Rachel Sennott enters the online meeting and immediately begins an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she exclaims, sounding really remorseful. Although she's only a bit behind, she needs to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Fortunately, during an interview, that’s just what one hopes to experience. Besides, it’s quite unsurprising. Anyone who have seen her unapologetically queer and unapologetically crass movie titled Bottoms—that Sennott penned with Emma Seligman and starred in with her friend The Bear’s standout—would understand that Sennott has plenty to say, be it on gender, relationships, or the merits of forming a high-school brawl society. And, after watching her new eight-part show I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she holds additional perspectives about the struggles of Gen Z life (Now in her thirties, Sennott represents a bridge of the gang, a tale-end millennial with a knack for straddling both generations).

Influences and Storytelling Approach

Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and Sennott readily acknowledges an admirer, naming it alongside Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as influences for the project, which follows the struggles of online personality Tallulah and ally and aspiring representative Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the largest influence on creative vision was reserved for Entourage, that program focusing on a rising A-list actor making his way in a gritty entertainment industry (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott started watching it amid lockdown, became “obsessed”, and chose to add a fresh perspective on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.

“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she explains. The concept for the series came—partly—from her own, initially fractious, move to Tinseltown and from the astrological phase, a much-talked-about phenomenon for astrology heads. That period marked a time that involved her grasp some big life lessons, professionally and individually. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she says. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” It was almost like these biblical tests …”

Humble Origins

Growing up in New England, the star began creating and acting comedy while studying theatre at a prestigious arts school. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she explains. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “None of the university plays cast me either.” And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”

Sennott seized control, appearing at live shows with her friend and sharing uproarious (and distinctly) weird online content on the internet. A particular video, Baby Cult, centered on several females intensely obsessed with motherhood; another imagined working at a trendy retail outlet as like being stuck in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she met Emma through the university’s film scene and eventually featuring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, a tense comedy set at a religious event with shades of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her career, she notes, has been people her own age supporting her, rather than the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Not the gatekeepers”, she repeats, continuing humorously: “They don’t want us to win.”

Manifesting Dreams

Anyone who were skeptical regarding her previously will certainly be kicking themselves today. In what she describes as a “incredibly circular” turn of events, she has manifested the perfect project. A few years back she uploaded a video called about Los Angeles on social media, in which she parodied film promos (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Years later, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a show about LA residents balancing advantages of digital stardom (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your client being suspected of being a intoxicated thief, and possibly becoming a unreliable outcast). One might tempting to produce a series about digital influence that was extremely idealized—or, even less favorable, one that mocked at its subjects. This show does neither, creating a representation of advantaged millennial life that’s candid about the grot and the glamour.

Balanced Perspective

“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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