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Rachel Sennott enters the digital interview and immediately begins an excuse. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, seeming genuinely apologetic. Although she's only a couple of minutes delayed, she feels compelled to justify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Fortunately, for a writer, this is exactly what is ideal to experience. Moreover, it’s fairly unsurprising. Those who have seen the unapologetically LGBTQ+ and outspoken project titled Bottoms—that Sennott co-wrote with her creative partner and starred in together with her friend the talented actress—would be aware that Sennott holds plenty to discuss, whether on roles, intimacy, or the pros of creating a high-school brawl society. And, once you finish the new eight-part program titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she holds even more perspectives regarding the darker side of modern youth (As a millennial, Sennott is a bridge for this generation, on the cusp skilled for straddling millennials and Gen Z).

Influences and Storytelling Approach

Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and Sennott admits to being a fan, referencing it together with the HBO hit, Insecure and the innovative program as influences for her series, which details the struggles of an influencer Tallulah and her friend who is also new talent manager Sennott’s character. However, the most significant presence on concept went to the HBO series, the program focusing on an emerging Hollywood star making his way in a corrupt LA scene (choice quote: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott started watching it during lockdown, became “captivated”, and decided 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 concept for I Love LA came—in part—from her own, at first rocky, move to Tinseltown and from her saturn return, a frequently discussed event for astrology heads. It was an era that saw her learn major insights, work-wise and in private life. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she recalls. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”

Early Beginnings

Brought up in Connecticut, the star began writing and performing stand-up while studying acting at NYU’s Tisch. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she explains. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”

Sennott decided to act independently, appearing at amateur nights with Edebiri and uploading hysterical (and very) unconventional skits digitally. One, titled Baby Cult, centered on a group of women fetishistically drawn to pregnancy; another imagined being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being trapped in a scary movie. By chance, she encountered Seligman through NYU’s movie community and eventually starring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful comedy set at a Jewish wake with hints of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her path, she explains, has been peers giving her a shot, instead of the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she repeats, stating with a laugh: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”

Manifesting Dreams

Anyone who questioned about Sennott previously will certainly be feeling foolish currently. As part of she labels a “incredibly circular” story, she appears to manifested her dream vehicle. A few years back she shared a clip called “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she lampooned film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Years later, she’s the co-showrunner (with her partner) of a comedy about Angelenos juggling advantages of internet fame (such as partying at a famous actor’s house) with drawbacks (your friend being labeled as being a drug-addled criminal, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). Some could easy to create a show about online fame that was extremely idealized—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at its subjects. I Love LA does neither, creating a representation of privileged young adult living that’s candid about the mess and the appeal.

Balanced Perspective

“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