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Rachel Sennott enters the video call and right away begins an excuse. “Apologies for the delay!” she exclaims, appearing really remorseful. Although she's only a couple of minutes behind, she needs to clarify. “My phone conversations always run long.” I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Luckily, in this context, this is just what you want to hear. Additionally, it’s fairly unsurprising. Viewers familiar with the boldly queer and brash movie Bottoms—which she co-wrote with the director and starred in alongside her friend the talented actress—will already know that Sennott holds a lot to say, ranging from about roles, sex, or the pros of forming a high-school brawl society. And, after watching her recent eight-part show I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she has even more perspectives about the struggles of Gen Z life (At 30, she represents a bridge for this generation, a tale-end millennial with a knack for bridging both generations).

Inspirations and Creative Vision

The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and the actress admits to being an admirer, citing it in addition to the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as guides for her series, which tracks the journey of a social media star Tallulah and close companion who is also fledgling talent manager portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the most significant influence on concept belonged to Entourage, the show depicting an up-and-coming Hollywood star succeeding in a gritty Hollywood (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She started watching it during COVID-19, became “hooked”, and chose to create a new version 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 explains. The concept for the series came—in part—from firsthand, at first fractious, relocation to Los Angeles and from the cosmic event, a popular phenomenon for enthusiasts. It was a phase that included her learn some big truths, in her career 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…”

Humble Origins

Raised in New England, the star started writing and performing comedy while enrolled in performance at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she says. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “None of the university plays cast me either.” “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”

She seized control, appearing at live shows with Ayo and posting uproarious (and very) bizarre comedy videos on the internet. One, Baby Cult, followed a group of women intensely obsessed with having babies; a different one portrayed working at a trendy retail outlet as akin to being stuck in a thriller. In a neat twist of fate, she connected with Seligman through NYU’s movie community and eventually starring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a tense film set at a funeral gathering with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. A recurring idea of her path, she says, has been people her own age offering opportunities, as opposed to the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “They were not involved”, she confirms, adding amusedly: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”

Rising Success

Those who had doubts regarding her then will surely be feeling foolish today. As part of she calls a “astonishingly complete” turn of events, she has created her dream vehicle. Previously she uploaded a video titled on LA life online, in which she mocked movie previews (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Six years on, she’s the co-showrunner (with her partner) of a series about LA residents managing the perks of online celebrity (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your associate being suspected of being a intoxicated stealer, and perhaps becoming a unreliable outcast). One might tempting to create a program about online fame that was overly aspirational—or, even less favorable, one that belittled at those depicted. I Love LA steers clear of each, resulting in a representation of advantaged twentysomething life that’s honest about the mess and the appeal.

Balanced Perspective

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