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Rachel Sennott appears on the online meeting and right away begins an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, appearing genuinely remorseful. Despite being only slightly behind, she feels compelled to justify. “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!” Luckily, during an interview, that’s exactly what one hopes to encounter. Additionally, it’s fairly expected. Anyone familiar with her unapologetically LGBTQ+ and outspoken project titled Bottoms—which Sennott co-wrote with her creative partner and appeared in with close companion Ayo Edebiri—can understand that she has much to say, be it on identity, relationships, or the appeal of forming a youth brawl society. Furthermore, by the end her latest eight-part show I Love LA, viewers realize that the star carries even more thoughts on the darker side of Gen Z life (At 30, Sennott represents a relatable figure for this generation, a tale-end millennial with a knack for straddling millennials and Gen Z).

Influences and Storytelling Approach

The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s Girls can’t be avoided and the actress admits to being a fan, citing it alongside the classic series, Insecure and the innovative program as inspirations for I Love LA, which tracks the journey of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend who is also fledgling representative portrayed by Sennott. However, the biggest spot on concept belonged to Entourage, that show focusing on an emerging A-list actor succeeding in a corrupt Hollywood (memorable line: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She began viewing it throughout lockdown, became “obsessed”, and chose to add a fresh perspective on it “for the girls and the gays”.

“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she explains. The concept for this project originated—in part—from her own, initially fractious, move to LA and from her astrological phase, a frequently discussed event for astrology heads. That period marked a time that saw her learn major life lessons, professionally and individually. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she admits. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”

Humble Origins

Raised in Connecticut, the star commenced creating and acting comedy while enrolled in acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she says. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”

Sennott seized control, taking the stage at live shows with Ayo and uploading uproarious (and very) unconventional skits digitally. One, titled Baby Cult, centered on a group of women intensely drawn to motherhood; a different one envisioned being employed at a trendy retail outlet as similar to being trapped in a horror film. Interestingly, she met Seligman through campus film circles and ended up appearing in her first film, Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a funeral gathering with hints of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her journey, she notes, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, rather than the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she repeats, stating humorously: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”

Rising Success

Anyone who had doubts regarding Sennott previously will likely be kicking themselves currently. As part of she calls a “astonishingly complete” turn of events, she has created an ideal role. In 2019 she posted content called about Los Angeles online, in which she parodied Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Six years on, she’s the co-showrunner (with her partner) of a show about city dwellers juggling benefits of internet fame (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with its pitfalls (your associate being labeled as being a drug-addled stealer, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). Some could easy to make a series about online fame that was extremely glamorous—or, more problematic, one that belittled at the characters. This show steers clear of each, making for a representation of affluent twentysomething living that’s frank about the grot 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 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