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Rachel Sennott joins the video call and immediately begins an excuse. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, seeming really apologetic. Although she's only slightly behind, she feels compelled to explain. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Fortunately, in this context, this is precisely what you want to hear. Additionally, it’s quite expected. Anyone who know her boldly LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass project Bottoms—which Sennott co-wrote with the director and starred in alongside close companion the talented actress—will already know that Sennott possesses much to say, whether on identity, sex, or the appeal of forming a youth combat group. And, by the end her latest seasonal HBO series I Love LA, it is clear that she holds additional insights about the challenges of modern youth (At 30, Sennott is a relatable figure of the gang, straddling eras with a knack for bridging both generations).

Guiding Lights and Storytelling Approach

The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and the actress readily acknowledges enthusiastic, referencing the show together with the HBO hit, Insecure and Donald Glover’s series as guides for I Love LA, which tracks the struggles of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion who is also fledgling representative Sennott’s character. Notably, the largest influence on concept belonged to Entourage, that program focusing on a rising celebrity succeeding in an often-seedy Hollywood (choice quote: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She discovered it during the pandemic, became “hooked”, and resolved to add a fresh perspective on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.

“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she notes. The idea for this project came—in part—from her own, at first difficult, relocation to Los Angeles and from the saturn return, a much-talked-about event for enthusiasts. It was a time that included her understand some big life lessons, professionally and in private life. “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 was almost like these biblical tests …”

Starting Out

Growing up in Connecticut, Sennott commenced developing and showcasing stand-up while studying acting at NYU’s Tisch. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she explains. “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 seized control, performing at live shows with Ayo and posting hilarious (and very) weird online content on the internet. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, depicted a group of women obsessively obsessed with having babies; another imagined working at the brand Hollister as similar to being stuck in a scary movie. By chance, she encountered Seligman through the university’s film scene and ended up featuring in her first film, Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a funeral gathering with hints of Uncut Gems. A recurring idea of her path, she says, has been peers giving her a shot, rather than the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, stating with a laugh: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”

Manifesting Dreams

Those who had doubts regarding Sennott previously will surely be feeling foolish currently. In what she describes as a “astonishingly complete” development, she appears to manifested her dream vehicle. A few years back she uploaded a clip called about Los Angeles on the internet, in which she mocked movie previews (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Years later, she’s a lead creator (with the co-writer) of a comedy about LA residents managing the perks of digital stardom (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with its pitfalls (your associate being labeled as being a intoxicated thief, and possibly becoming a unreliable pariah). One might tempting to create a program about internet celebrity that was horribly idealized—or, worse, one that punched down at those depicted. The series steers clear of each, creating a portrait of privileged young adult living that’s honest about the chaos and the glamour.

Empathetic Approach

“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