🔗 Share this article

Rachel Sennott appears on the online meeting and at once starts an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, appearing genuinely apologetic. Despite being only slightly behind, she wants to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Luckily, in this context, this is precisely what is ideal to experience. Moreover, it’s fairly expected. Those familiar with her fearlessly LGBTQ+ and outspoken movie titled Bottoms—that she collaborated on with the director and starred in alongside collaborator the talented actress—will understand that she has a lot to share, be it on roles, relationships, or the pros of starting a high-school combat group. Plus, by the end the latest eight-part show titled I Love LA, it is clear that she holds further insights regarding the challenges of Gen Z life (Now in her thirties, she represents a relatable figure to younger audiences, straddling eras with a knack for straddling both generations).

Influences and Creative Vision

Likenesses to the iconic series Girls can’t be avoided and the actress is an admirer, referencing the show in addition to Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and the innovative program as guides for the project, which details the struggles of online personality Tallulah and ally and fledgling agent Sennott’s character. Notably, the biggest spot on concept was reserved for Entourage, the HBO sitcom depicting an up-and-coming A-list actor navigating in a gritty LA scene (memorable line: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She started watching it during COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and decided to create a new version on it “for the girls and the gays”.

“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she explains. The inspiration for I Love LA emerged—to some extent—from firsthand, initially rocky, transition to Los Angeles and from her astrological phase, a frequently discussed phenomenon for followers. It was a time that included her understand major truths, professionally and individually. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” 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 stand-up while enrolled in performance 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.” I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”

Sennott seized control, performing at amateur nights with Edebiri and sharing uproarious (and very) unconventional online content online. A particular video, Baby Cult, followed characters fetishistically fixated on having babies; a different one envisioned being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being stuck in a thriller. In a neat twist of fate, she met Seligman through NYU’s movie community and eventually starring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a tense comedy set at a religious event with hints of the intense thriller. The big theme of her path, she explains, has been contemporaries supporting her, as opposed to established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, adding humorously: “They don’t want us to win.”

Rising Success

Those who questioned regarding her previously will certainly be kicking themselves today. Through she calls a “wild, full-circle” development, she seems to have achieved an ideal role. In 2019 she posted a clip titled on LA life on social media, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Six years on, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a show about city dwellers balancing the perks of internet fame (such as partying at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being suspected of being a drug-addled stealer, and perhaps becoming a risky outcast). One might tempting to make a show about internet celebrity that was extremely glamorous—or, more problematic, one that mocked at the characters. The series does neither, resulting in a portrait of advantaged twentysomething life that’s candid about the mess and the shine.

Balanced Perspective

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