The actress and writer exploring her hilarious show portraying that grotty allure of Gen Z life

Rachel Sennott joins the digital interview and right away begins an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, seeming truly regretful. Despite being only a couple of minutes late, she feels compelled to justify. “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, that’s exactly what is ideal to hear. Besides, it’s quite expected. Viewers who have seen her unapologetically LGBTQ+ and outspoken project titled Bottoms—which she collaborated on with her creative partner and appeared in alongside collaborator The Bear’s standout—can be aware that she has much to share, ranging from on gender, relationships, or the appeal of forming a high-school brawl society. And, after watching the latest eight-part show I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she has even more insights regarding the darker side of young adulthood (At 30, Sennott represents an honorary member for this generation, on the cusp with a knack for bridging both generations).

Guiding Lights and Artistic Direction

Likenesses to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and Sennott admits to being an admirer, naming the show together with Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and Donald Glover’s series as influences for I Love LA, which tracks the struggles of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and ally and new talent manager portrayed by Sennott. However, the most significant presence on concept belonged to the popular sitcom, the program depicting an emerging celebrity navigating in a corrupt entertainment industry (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott discovered it amid lockdown, became “obsessed”, and resolved 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 notes. The inspiration for this project originated—in part—from personal, originally difficult, move to Los Angeles and from her cosmic event, a popular event for astrology heads. That period marked a time that saw her learn major truths, work-wise and in private life. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she says. “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…”

Starting Out

Raised in the East Coast, the star started developing and showcasing comedy while pursuing performance at a prestigious arts school. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she explains. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”

Sennott seized control, appearing at open mics with Edebiri and sharing hysterical (and decidedly) weird online content digitally. A particular video, Baby Cult, centered on characters intensely obsessed with pregnancy; a different one imagined working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being trapped in a horror film. By chance, she met Seligman through NYU’s movie community and ended up starring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a Jewish wake with shades of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her career, she notes, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, rather than the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, continuing with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”

Rising Success

Those who had doubts regarding her earlier will certainly be regretting it now. As part of she labels a “wild, full-circle” turn of events, she appears to created her dream vehicle. In 2019 she uploaded a clip called about Los Angeles online, in which she lampooned film promos (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with the co-writer) of a show about city dwellers juggling benefits of internet fame (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with downsides (your associate being suspected of being a drug-addled criminal, and possibly becoming a risky pariah). Some could tempting to produce a series about internet celebrity that was overly glamorous—or, more problematic, one that mocked at its subjects. I Love LA avoids both, resulting in a depiction of affluent twentysomething living that’s candid about the mess and the appeal.

Empathetic Approach

“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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

William Boone
William Boone

A cybersecurity analyst and tech writer passionate about digital privacy and ethical hacking, with over a decade of industry experience.