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Rachel Sennott joins the digital interview and right away begins an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she exclaims, appearing truly regretful. She is only a couple of minutes late, she needs to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Thankfully, during an interview, this is just what you want to experience. Additionally, it’s quite unsurprising. Those familiar with the boldly queer and outspoken film titled Bottoms—which she co-wrote with her creative partner and starred in together with her friend the talented actress—will be aware that she holds plenty to say, be it on gender, relationships, or the pros of starting a teen combat group. Furthermore, by the end the latest multi-episode program titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star carries even more insights about the struggles of Gen Z life (At 30, she represents a bridge of the gang, on the cusp skilled for straddling different age groups).

Influences and Storytelling Approach

Likenesses to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and Sennott readily acknowledges a fan, naming it alongside Sex and the City, Insecure and the innovative program as influences for I Love LA, which details the journey of a social media star Tallulah and close companion and new agent Maia. However, the largest spot on creative vision belonged to Entourage, the show focusing on a rising Hollywood star succeeding in a gritty LA scene (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott discovered it during lockdown, became “obsessed”, and resolved to create a new version on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.

“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she says. The idea for I Love LA emerged—in part—from her own, at first difficult, relocation to LA and from her cosmic event, a popular phenomenon for astrology heads. This represented a phase that involved her understand some big insights, work-wise and individually. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she says. “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

Brought up in Connecticut, Sennott began developing and showcasing comedy while enrolled in theatre at a prestigious arts school. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she states. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”

Sennott decided to act independently, taking the stage at live shows with Ayo and sharing hilarious (and decidedly) unconventional comedy videos online. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, followed characters fetishistically obsessed with pregnancy; another envisioned working at a trendy retail outlet as akin to being trapped in a horror film. By chance, she met Emma through NYU’s movie community and ended up featuring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a funeral gathering with shades of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her path, she says, has been people her own age offering opportunities, rather than the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, adding amusedly: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”

Manifesting Dreams

Anyone who had doubts about Sennott then will surely be feeling foolish now. As part of she labels a “astonishingly complete” story, she seems to have manifested her dream vehicle. Previously she posted content titled “it’s LA” on social media, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with her partner) of a series about Angelenos balancing advantages of internet fame (such as socializing at a celebrity’s house) with drawbacks (your friend being suspected of being a intoxicated criminal, and perhaps becoming a risky pariah). Some could tempting to make a series about internet celebrity that was horribly glamorous—or, more problematic, one that belittled at those depicted. The series does neither, resulting in a representation of privileged millennial existence that’s candid about the grot and the appeal.

Nuanced Portrayal

“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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