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Rachel Sennott appears on the digital interview and immediately begins an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, appearing truly regretful. She is only slightly behind, she feels compelled to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, during an interview, that’s exactly what you want to experience. Additionally, it’s quite expected. Anyone familiar with her unapologetically LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass project titled Bottoms—that she co-wrote with Emma Seligman and featured in with collaborator the talented actress—will be aware that Sennott possesses plenty to say, ranging from on gender, intimacy, or the appeal of creating a youth combat group. And, after watching her new eight-part HBO series titled I Love LA, viewers realize that the star carries additional insights about the struggles of Gen Z life (As a millennial, she represents a bridge to younger audiences, a tale-end millennial skilled for bridging different age groups).

Inspirations and Artistic Direction

Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show are inevitable and Sennott readily acknowledges a fan, referencing it in addition to Sex and the City, Insecure and the innovative program as inspirations for I Love LA, which details the struggles of an influencer Tallulah and her friend and aspiring talent manager portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the most significant influence on creative vision was reserved for Entourage, that show about an up-and-coming A-list actor succeeding in an often-seedy Hollywood (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott started watching it during the pandemic, became “obsessed”, and decided to add a fresh perspective 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 inspiration for the series came—to some extent—from firsthand, at first rocky, transition to LA and from her saturn return, a popular occurrence for astrology heads. That period marked a time that saw her grasp some big life lessons, in her career and personally. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she recalls. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”

Starting Out

Growing up in Connecticut, Sennott began creating and acting humor while studying theatre at NYU’s Tisch. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she states. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”

Sennott seized control, performing at amateur nights with Ayo and posting hilarious (and very) unconventional skits on the internet. A particular video, Baby Cult, followed several females fetishistically fixated on pregnancy; another envisioned being employed at the brand Hollister as similar to being trapped in a horror film. Interestingly, she connected with Emma through the university’s film scene and ended up featuring in her initial project, Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a funeral gathering with echoes of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her career, she explains, has been people her own age giving her a shot, instead of traditional networks. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she repeats, stating humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”

Rising Success

Individuals who had doubts regarding her then will certainly be regretting it now. As part of she describes as a “incredibly circular” turn of events, she seems to have created an ideal role. In 2019 she posted a video titled on LA life on the internet, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Years later, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a show about LA residents juggling the perks of internet fame (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with drawbacks (your associate being labeled as being a substance-abusing stealer, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). One might simple to make a show about internet celebrity that was horribly aspirational—or, worse, one that punched down at those depicted. This show steers clear of each, creating a depiction of privileged twentysomething living that’s frank about the mess and the shine.

Nuanced Portrayal

“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” 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