🔗 Share this article

Rachel Sennott enters the digital interview and right away begins an apology. “Apologies for the delay!” she exclaims, sounding truly apologetic. Although she's only slightly late, 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!” Luckily, for a writer, this is just what is ideal to hear. Additionally, it’s fairly expected. Viewers who know the unapologetically openly gay and brash movie titled Bottoms—which Sennott collaborated on with Emma Seligman and appeared in alongside collaborator the talented actress—would be aware that Sennott holds much to say, ranging from about identity, relationships, or the pros of starting a high-school brawl society. Furthermore, by the end her new multi-episode show I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she has additional perspectives regarding the challenges of young adulthood (Now in her thirties, Sennott serves as a bridge to younger audiences, on the cusp adept for straddling both generations).

Inspirations and Storytelling Approach

The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and Sennott readily acknowledges a fan, citing the show alongside Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and the innovative program as inspirations for I Love LA, which follows the struggles of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion and fledgling talent manager portrayed by Sennott. However, the most significant spot on concept belonged to Entourage, that HBO sitcom focusing on an up-and-coming Hollywood star navigating in a corrupt LA scene (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She discovered it throughout COVID-19, became “hooked”, and decided to create a new version on it “for the girls and the gays”.

“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she notes. The concept for this project originated—in part—from firsthand, at first rocky, transition to Tinseltown and from her cosmic event, a popular phenomenon for followers. It was a phase that included her learn significant life lessons, work-wise and personally. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she admits. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”

Humble Origins

Raised in New England, Sennott commenced developing and showcasing comedy while studying acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she states. “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?”

Sennott seized control, taking the stage at amateur nights with Ayo and sharing hilarious (and very) bizarre online content on the internet. One, titled Baby Cult, depicted characters fetishistically fixated on motherhood; another envisioned working at a trendy retail outlet as like being stuck in a thriller. Interestingly, she met Emma through NYU’s movie community and ended up featuring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, a tense comedy set at a religious event with shades of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her career, she explains, has been people her own age supporting her, instead of traditional networks. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “They were not involved”, she confirms, continuing amusedly: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”

Career Breakthrough

Individuals who questioned about her previously will certainly be feeling foolish today. Through she labels a “wild, full-circle” development, she appears to created the perfect project. In 2019 she posted content called “it’s LA” online, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Years later, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a comedy about city dwellers juggling benefits of digital stardom (such as socializing at a famous actor’s house) with drawbacks (your friend being accused of being a drug-addled thief, and possibly becoming a unreliable outcast). Some could tempting to make a program about digital influence that was overly glamorous—or, more problematic, one that mocked at those depicted. The series does neither, creating a depiction of advantaged young adult life that’s frank about the grot and the glamour.

Nuanced Portrayal

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