Rachel Sennott exploring the side-splitting series about the grotty appeal of younger generation existence

The star appears on the digital interview and immediately launches into an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, appearing genuinely apologetic. Although she's only a couple of minutes behind, she feels compelled to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Thankfully, for a writer, this is just what one hopes to experience. Moreover, it’s fairly unsurprising. Anyone who know her fearlessly LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass film titled Bottoms—that Sennott penned with Emma Seligman and starred in together with collaborator The Bear’s standout—will understand that Sennott possesses plenty to discuss, be it about roles, relationships, or the appeal of starting a high-school fight club. Plus, once you finish the new seasonal show titled I Love LA, it is clear that the star holds further thoughts about the darker side of modern youth (Now in her thirties, she serves as an honorary member for this generation, straddling eras skilled for connecting both generations).

Inspirations and Artistic Direction

Likenesses to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and Sennott is a fan, naming the show alongside the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as influences for I Love LA, which tracks the travails of an influencer Tallulah and her friend who is also fledgling talent manager Maia. Perhaps, the biggest influence on the moodboard went to the HBO series, that HBO sitcom about an up-and-coming A-list actor navigating in a gritty Hollywood (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott began viewing it throughout lockdown, became “obsessed”, and resolved to create a new version 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 notes. The inspiration for the series originated—in part—from her own, originally difficult, move to LA and from the astrological phase, a popular occurrence for followers. That period marked a time that involved her understand some big insights, work-wise and in private life. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she recalls. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” It was almost like these biblical tests …”

Early Beginnings

Brought up in Connecticut, the star began writing and performing stand-up 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. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” 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 open mics with her friend and posting hilarious (and very) weird comedy videos digitally. One, Baby Cult, depicted characters obsessively obsessed with pregnancy; a different one portrayed working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being caught in a horror film. Interestingly, she encountered Emma through the university’s film scene and ultimately appearing in her first film, Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a religious event with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her career, she notes, has been people her own age supporting her, instead of traditional networks. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Not the gatekeepers”, she repeats, continuing amusedly: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”

Career Breakthrough

Individuals who were skeptical regarding her previously will certainly be kicking themselves today. Through she describes as a “astonishingly complete” turn of events, she has manifested an ideal role. A few years back she uploaded content called on LA life online, in which she parodied movie previews (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Years later, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a series about city dwellers balancing advantages of digital stardom (such as socializing at a celebrity’s house) with drawbacks (your client being accused of being a substance-abusing criminal, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). Some could easy to produce a show about internet celebrity that was overly aspirational—or, more problematic, one that mocked at its subjects. I Love LA avoids both, making for a depiction of affluent millennial life that’s candid about the grot and the glamour.

Nuanced Portrayal

“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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

Ryan Lawrence
Ryan Lawrence

A tech futurist and AI researcher with over a decade of experience in emerging technologies, passionate about demystifying complex innovations.