🔗 Share this article

Rachel Sennott enters the digital interview and right away launches into an explanation. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she states, seeming genuinely regretful. Despite being only a bit delayed, she wants to clarify. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Luckily, in this context, this is just what one hopes to encounter. Moreover, it’s fairly predictable. Those familiar with her boldly queer and brash project titled Bottoms—that she penned with her creative partner and starred in with her friend The Bear’s standout—will be aware that she has a lot to discuss, ranging from on gender, sex, or the appeal of creating a high-school brawl society. Plus, by the end the new multi-episode HBO series I Love LA, it is clear that she holds even more perspectives regarding the struggles of modern youth (Now in her thirties, Sennott represents a bridge to younger audiences, a tale-end millennial with a knack for connecting different age groups).

Guiding Lights and Creative Vision

Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and Sennott readily acknowledges an admirer, referencing it together with the classic series, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as inspirations for her series, which details the struggles of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion and new agent portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the most significant presence on concept went to the HBO series, that show focusing on an emerging celebrity succeeding in an often-seedy entertainment industry (choice quote: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott started watching it throughout COVID-19, 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 explains. The concept for this project came—partly—from firsthand, initially rocky, move to LA and from her cosmic event, a popular event for followers. This represented a phase that involved her learn some big insights, professionally and individually. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” 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 …”

Humble Origins

Brought up in the East Coast, the star started creating and acting humor while studying theatre at NYU’s Tisch. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she says. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “None of the university plays cast me either.” “I wondered why I was even there at all.”

She decided to act independently, taking the stage at amateur nights with Edebiri and sharing hysterical (and decidedly) unconventional comedy videos digitally. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, centered on several females fetishistically drawn to motherhood; a different one envisioned working at a trendy retail outlet as similar to being stuck in a horror film. In a neat twist of fate, she connected with Seligman through the university’s film scene and ended up starring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a Jewish wake with hints of Uncut Gems. A recurring idea of her journey, she explains, has been people her own age offering opportunities, instead of the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she confirms, adding humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”

Career Breakthrough

Those who had doubts about Sennott previously will likely be feeling foolish today. In what she describes as a “astonishingly complete” turn of events, she seems to have manifested her dream vehicle. In 2019 she posted a clip titled “it’s LA” on social media, in which she parodied Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Six years on, she’s the co-showrunner (with her partner) of a series about city dwellers managing the perks of internet fame (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being accused of being a drug-addled thief, and perhaps becoming a risky pariah). Some could tempting to create a series about online fame that was overly glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that belittled at the characters. I Love LA avoids both, creating a portrait of advantaged young adult existence that’s frank about the mess and the shine.

Balanced Perspective

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