Rachel Sennott exploring her hilarious series depicting that grotty allure of Gen Z life

The performer enters the digital interview and right away begins an apology. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, sounding really remorseful. Despite being only slightly delayed, she feels compelled to clarify. “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!” Fortunately, for a writer, this is exactly what one hopes to hear. Additionally, it’s pretty expected. Viewers who have seen her unapologetically LGBTQ+ and outspoken movie Bottoms—which Sennott collaborated on with Emma Seligman and appeared in together with collaborator The Bear’s standout—can be aware that she possesses plenty to say, ranging from on identity, relationships, or the pros of creating a high-school brawl society. Plus, by the end the recent multi-episode show I Love LA, it is clear that she holds further thoughts on the struggles of modern youth (Now in her thirties, she is an honorary member of the gang, a tale-end millennial adept for connecting both generations).

Inspirations and Creative Vision

Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and the actress admits to being a fan, referencing it together with the classic series, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as influences for I Love LA, which tracks the journey of an influencer Tallulah and close companion and fledgling agent Sennott’s character. Notably, the most significant spot on the moodboard went to Entourage, the HBO sitcom about an up-and-coming A-list actor making his way in a gritty LA scene (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She started watching it during the pandemic, became “hooked”, and chose 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 says. The inspiration for this project emerged—to some extent—from firsthand, initially rocky, move to Tinseltown and from her saturn return, a frequently discussed event for astrology heads. That period marked an era that saw her grasp major truths, work-wise and in private life. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she admits. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”

Humble Origins

Brought up in New England, the star commenced writing and performing stand-up while enrolled in theatre at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she states. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”

She took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at amateur nights with Ayo and sharing uproarious (and decidedly) bizarre comedy videos digitally. One, titled Baby Cult, followed a group of women fetishistically fixated on having babies; a different one imagined working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being stuck in a thriller. In a neat twist of fate, she connected with Emma through campus film circles and ended up appearing in her first film, Shiva Baby, a tense comedy set at a Jewish wake with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. A recurring idea of her career, she says, has been people her own age giving her a shot, instead of established gatekeepers. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she repeats, stating with a laugh: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”

Manifesting Dreams

Anyone who had doubts regarding her then will likely be regretting it currently. In what she labels a “astonishingly complete” turn of events, she has manifested the perfect project. In 2019 she uploaded content called on LA life online, in which she lampooned film promos (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a series about LA residents managing the perks of online celebrity (such as socializing at a celebrity’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being suspected of being a intoxicated thief, and perhaps becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). One might tempting to produce a series about online fame that was extremely idealized—or, worse, one that belittled at its subjects. I Love LA steers clear of each, resulting in a depiction of affluent young adult existence that’s candid about the grot and the shine.

Empathetic Approach

“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