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Rachel Sennott joins the video call and immediately begins an apology. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she states, seeming really regretful. Although she's only a couple of minutes delayed, she wants to explain. “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!” Thankfully, for a writer, that’s precisely what one hopes to hear. Additionally, it’s fairly unsurprising. Those who know her boldly queer and brash movie titled Bottoms—which Sennott co-wrote with the director and featured in with her friend the talented actress—can be aware that she possesses a lot to share, whether on roles, sex, or the pros of starting a high-school brawl society. Furthermore, by the end her recent eight-part show I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star has further insights regarding the struggles of Gen Z life (As a millennial, she is an honorary member of the gang, a tale-end millennial with a knack for connecting different age groups).

Influences and Storytelling Approach

Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and the actress is a fan, citing the show alongside the HBO hit, Insecure and the innovative program as inspirations for the project, which details the struggles of an influencer Tallulah and ally who is also aspiring talent manager Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the largest spot on the moodboard went to the popular sitcom, that show about an emerging Hollywood star making his way in an often-seedy Hollywood (memorable line: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott discovered it during lockdown, became “obsessed”, and chose to add a fresh perspective on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.

“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she says. The concept for this project originated—to some extent—from her own, initially fractious, relocation to Tinseltown and from her saturn return, a frequently discussed event for astrology heads. That period marked a time that saw her understand major life lessons, professionally 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 was almost like these biblical tests …”

Starting Out

Raised in the East Coast, the star started developing and showcasing humor while studying acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she states. “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.”

She took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at live shows with her friend and uploading hilarious (and decidedly) unconventional comedy videos online. One, Baby Cult, depicted a group of women intensely drawn to having babies; a different one portrayed being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being trapped in a horror film. Interestingly, she met Seligman through the university’s film scene and eventually featuring in her initial project, Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a Jewish wake with hints of the Safdie brothers’ movie. A recurring idea of her career, she explains, has been contemporaries offering opportunities, as opposed to established gatekeepers. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, stating humorously: “They don’t want us to win.”

Rising Success

Individuals who questioned about her earlier will certainly be kicking themselves today. In what she labels a “incredibly circular” turn of events, she has created the perfect project. Previously she posted a clip titled “it’s LA” online, in which she parodied Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Years later, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a series about LA residents juggling benefits of online celebrity (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with drawbacks (your friend being accused of being a substance-abusing stealer, and possibly becoming a unreliable outcast). It would be tempting to create a show about digital influence that was extremely glamorous—or, worse, one that belittled at those depicted. This show steers clear of each, resulting in a representation of privileged twentysomething living that’s frank about the mess and the glamour.

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 comments. “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