The actress and writer on her uproarious series about that grotty allure of today's youth lifestyle

Rachel Sennott appears on the digital interview and right away starts an excuse. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, sounding genuinely apologetic. She is only slightly delayed, she feels compelled to clarify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Luckily, for a writer, this is precisely what one hopes to encounter. Additionally, it’s pretty predictable. Viewers who know her boldly openly gay and unapologetically crass project titled Bottoms—that she collaborated on with Emma Seligman and appeared in alongside her friend the talented actress—can understand that she holds a lot to say, whether on roles, intimacy, or the merits of forming a teen brawl society. Plus, by the end the new multi-episode show I Love LA, it is clear that she carries even more insights on the challenges of Gen Z life (At 30, she is a relatable figure for this generation, on the cusp with a knack for straddling both generations).

Inspirations and Creative Vision

Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show can’t be avoided and Sennott readily acknowledges an admirer, naming it in addition to the classic series, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as guides for I Love LA, which follows the struggles of online personality Tallulah and close companion and new agent portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the largest spot on concept went to the HBO series, the program depicting an up-and-coming A-list actor succeeding in an often-seedy Hollywood (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott began viewing it amid lockdown, became “captivated”, 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 inspiration for I Love LA emerged—to some extent—from personal, at first fractious, move to Los Angeles and from the cosmic event, a much-talked-about event for followers. That period marked an era that included her learn significant life lessons, professionally and individually. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she says. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”

Starting Out

Growing up in Connecticut, the star commenced developing and showcasing comedy while pursuing performance 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. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”

Sennott decided to act independently, taking the stage at live shows with Ayo and posting hilarious (and distinctly) weird online content on the internet. One, Baby Cult, followed characters obsessively drawn to motherhood; another portrayed working at the brand Hollister as like being caught in a horror film. In a neat twist of fate, she connected with Seligman through campus film circles and ultimately appearing in her initial project, Shiva Baby, a stressful film set at a funeral gathering with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. A recurring idea of her path, she says, has been peers offering opportunities, rather than the industry at large. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, adding amusedly: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”

Manifesting Dreams

Those who had doubts about Sennott earlier will likely be kicking themselves now. Through she labels a “astonishingly complete” turn of events, she seems to have created her dream vehicle. A few years back she posted a clip named “it’s LA” on social media, in which she parodied movie previews (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with her partner) of a series about city dwellers balancing advantages of online celebrity (such as socializing at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being accused of being a intoxicated thief, and possibly becoming a unreliable persona non grata). One might tempting to make a series about digital influence that was overly aspirational—or, more problematic, one that belittled at the characters. The series avoids both, making for a depiction of affluent young adult life that’s candid about the grot and the glamour.

Empathetic Approach

“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