🔗 Share this article

Rachel Sennott joins the video call and at once begins an excuse. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, seeming genuinely regretful. Although she's only slightly behind, she feels compelled to justify. “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, that’s just what one hopes to encounter. Moreover, it’s pretty predictable. Those familiar with the boldly LGBTQ+ and outspoken film Bottoms—that she penned with Emma Seligman and appeared in alongside close companion the talented actress—can understand that she holds much to discuss, ranging from about identity, intimacy, or the appeal of creating a teen fight club. And, after watching the new seasonal program I Love LA, it is clear that she has even more perspectives on the challenges of young adulthood (As a millennial, she represents an honorary member of the gang, straddling eras skilled for connecting both generations).

Influences and Artistic Direction

Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and Sennott admits to being a fan, referencing it in addition to the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as influences for the project, which tracks the journey of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and ally who is also aspiring representative Sennott’s character. However, the biggest spot on creative vision went to the popular sitcom, the show about a rising celebrity succeeding in a corrupt Hollywood (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott started watching it throughout the pandemic, became “hooked”, and chose 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 this project emerged—in part—from personal, at first difficult, move to Los Angeles and from her cosmic event, a popular phenomenon for enthusiasts. It was an era that involved her grasp major life lessons, work-wise and individually. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she says. “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 New England, the star commenced developing and showcasing comedy while pursuing theatre at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “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.”

Sennott decided to act independently, appearing at live shows with Ayo and posting uproarious (and decidedly) unconventional skits online. A particular video, Baby Cult, centered on characters intensely fixated on pregnancy; another imagined being employed at a trendy retail outlet as akin to being trapped in a thriller. In a neat twist of fate, she encountered Emma through the university’s film scene and ultimately appearing in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a religious event with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her career, she says, has been contemporaries offering opportunities, rather than established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she confirms, continuing amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”

Career Breakthrough

Anyone who questioned about her previously will likely be feeling foolish currently. Through she calls a “wild, full-circle” turn of events, she has created the perfect project. A few years back she posted a clip called on LA life online, in which she parodied film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Years later, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a show about Angelenos balancing benefits of digital stardom (such as partying at a famous actor’s house) with downsides (your associate being accused of being a intoxicated criminal, and perhaps becoming a risky outcast). Some could tempting to produce a series about digital influence that was extremely idealized—or, even less favorable, one that mocked at those depicted. The series steers clear of each, creating a depiction of affluent twentysomething living that’s frank about the mess and the appeal.

Balanced Perspective

“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