Rachel Sennott discussing her uproarious show about the chaotic allure of today's youth existence

Rachel Sennott appears on the online meeting and at once launches into an explanation. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, sounding genuinely regretful. Despite being only a couple of minutes late, she wants to justify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Fortunately, during an interview, that’s precisely what you want to hear. Additionally, it’s pretty expected. Those familiar with the unapologetically LGBTQ+ and outspoken movie Bottoms—which Sennott penned with Emma Seligman and starred in together with close companion the talented actress—will understand that she holds a lot to say, whether about identity, intimacy, or the appeal of creating a youth brawl society. Furthermore, once you finish the latest eight-part show I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she holds additional insights regarding the darker side of modern youth (At 30, Sennott serves as a relatable figure for this generation, a tale-end millennial adept for straddling different age groups).

Inspirations and Artistic Direction

The comparisons to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and the actress readily acknowledges an admirer, citing it in addition to the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and Donald Glover’s series as guides for I Love LA, which tracks the journey of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend and aspiring talent manager Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the biggest presence on creative vision was reserved for the HBO series, that HBO sitcom focusing on an emerging Hollywood star navigating in a corrupt Hollywood (memorable line: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott began viewing it throughout lockdown, became “captivated”, and chose to add a fresh perspective on it “for the girls and the gays”.

“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she explains. The concept for the series came—to some extent—from firsthand, originally rocky, transition to LA and from the cosmic event, a popular event for astrology heads. It was a phase that involved her understand significant truths, in her career and in private life. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she recalls. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”

Humble Origins

Growing up in the East Coast, the star began creating and acting comedy while studying theatre 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. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”

Sennott decided to act independently, performing at amateur nights with her friend and posting hysterical (and decidedly) weird comedy videos on the internet. One, titled Baby Cult, depicted a group of women fetishistically fixated on pregnancy; another portrayed being employed at the brand Hollister as akin to being caught in a horror film. Interestingly, she encountered Emma through campus film circles and eventually appearing in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful comedy set at a Jewish wake with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The big theme of her path, she says, has been contemporaries supporting her, instead of the industry at large. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she repeats, stating humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”

Rising Success

Those who questioned about her previously will surely be regretting it today. Through she describes as a “astonishingly complete” development, she appears to achieved the perfect project. Previously she uploaded content named “it’s LA” on social media, in which she lampooned movie previews (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with Emma Barrie) of a series about LA residents managing the perks of online celebrity (such as celebrating at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being suspected of being a intoxicated criminal, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). Some could easy to make a show about digital influence that was extremely idealized—or, even less favorable, one that mocked at its subjects. This show avoids both, creating a depiction of privileged twentysomething life that’s honest about the grot and the glamour.

Nuanced Portrayal

“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

Sarah Gilmore
Sarah Gilmore

Elin är en certifierad hälsocoach och bloggare som delar sina erfarenheter om att leva ett balanserat liv i modern tid.