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Rachel Sennott enters the video call and at once begins an excuse. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, appearing really apologetic. Despite being only a couple of minutes late, she feels compelled to explain. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Luckily, for a writer, that’s exactly what is ideal to hear. Additionally, it’s quite unsurprising. Those who have seen the unapologetically openly gay and brash film titled Bottoms—that Sennott collaborated on with Emma Seligman and featured in together with close companion the talented actress—can already know that Sennott has a lot to discuss, whether about gender, intimacy, or the pros of forming a teen fight club. And, once you finish her latest eight-part HBO series titled I Love LA, it is clear that the star carries additional perspectives regarding the struggles of Gen Z life (Now in her thirties, she represents an honorary member for this generation, on the cusp with a knack for bridging different age groups).

Inspirations and Artistic Direction

The comparisons to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and Sennott readily acknowledges enthusiastic, referencing the show alongside Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and the innovative program as guides for her series, which follows the journey of a social media star Tallulah and close companion who is also aspiring agent Maia. However, the most significant influence on creative vision went to the popular sitcom, the program depicting an up-and-coming Hollywood star succeeding in an often-seedy LA scene (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She began viewing it amid the pandemic, became “captivated”, and decided 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 concept for I Love LA emerged—partly—from firsthand, initially rocky, transition to Tinseltown and from her saturn return, a frequently discussed occurrence for enthusiasts. It was a phase that involved her learn major truths, in her career and personally. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she admits. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. It was almost like these biblical tests …”

Early Beginnings

Raised in the East Coast, Sennott began creating and acting humor while enrolled in acting at a prestigious arts school. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she explains. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “None of the university plays cast me either.” “I wondered why I was even there at all.”

She seized control, taking the stage at open mics with Ayo and uploading hilarious (and very) weird online content digitally. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, centered on characters intensely fixated on pregnancy; another imagined working at a trendy retail outlet as similar to being stuck in a thriller. In a neat twist of fate, she encountered Seligman through campus film circles and eventually appearing in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a religious event with hints of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The big theme of her path, she says, has been people her own age supporting her, as opposed to traditional networks. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, adding amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”

Career Breakthrough

Anyone who had doubts regarding Sennott previously will surely be kicking themselves today. Through she describes as a “wild, full-circle” turn of events, she seems to have created her dream vehicle. Previously she posted a clip named “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s a lead creator (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about Angelenos balancing advantages of online celebrity (such as socializing at a celebrity’s house) with its pitfalls (your client being accused of being a intoxicated thief, and potentially becoming a unreliable persona non grata). One might tempting to produce a program about internet celebrity that was extremely glamorous—or, more problematic, one that belittled at its subjects. I Love LA steers clear of each, resulting in a portrait of affluent twentysomething living that’s frank about the chaos and the glamour.

Nuanced Portrayal

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