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Rachel Sennott joins the video call and immediately begins an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she states, sounding genuinely remorseful. She is only a bit behind, she needs to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Luckily, for a writer, this is precisely what is ideal to hear. Additionally, it’s pretty unsurprising. Viewers familiar with her fearlessly LGBTQ+ and brash film Bottoms—which Sennott co-wrote with the director and featured in alongside close companion The Bear’s standout—would already know that Sennott possesses much to discuss, be it on gender, intimacy, or the pros of creating a youth combat group. And, after watching her latest eight-part HBO series I Love LA, it is clear that the star holds further insights about the darker side of modern youth (Now in her thirties, Sennott is a bridge to younger audiences, straddling eras with a knack for connecting both generations).

Inspirations and Storytelling Approach

Likenesses to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and Sennott readily acknowledges an admirer, referencing it alongside the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and Donald Glover’s series as influences for the project, which tracks the travails of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion and new representative Maia. However, the largest influence on creative vision was reserved for the popular sitcom, that HBO sitcom about an emerging A-list actor navigating in a corrupt entertainment industry (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott began viewing it throughout lockdown, became “captivated”, and decided to add a fresh perspective 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 explains. The idea for I Love LA originated—to some extent—from personal, originally difficult, relocation to LA and from her cosmic event, a much-talked-about occurrence for followers. This represented a phase that included her grasp major life lessons, in her career and individually. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she admits. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”

Starting Out

Raised in the East Coast, Sennott began creating and acting comedy while enrolled in acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she states. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “None of the university plays cast me either.” “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”

She took matters into her own hands, performing at open mics with Ayo and sharing hysterical (and distinctly) bizarre online content online. One, Baby Cult, depicted characters intensely fixated on pregnancy; another imagined being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being stuck in a thriller. In a neat twist of fate, she met Emma through the university’s film scene and ended up featuring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a funeral gathering with echoes of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her career, she says, has been peers supporting her, as opposed to the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “They were not involved”, she repeats, continuing amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”

Career Breakthrough

Individuals who were skeptical regarding Sennott then will likely be kicking themselves now. In what she labels a “incredibly circular” story, she has achieved an ideal role. Previously she shared a video titled “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she parodied movie previews (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with her partner) of a series about Angelenos juggling advantages of digital stardom (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your client being accused of being a drug-addled criminal, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). It would be simple to create a program about online fame that was overly glamorous—or, worse, one that punched down at those depicted. This show avoids both, making for a representation of advantaged young adult living that’s frank about the chaos 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