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Rachel Sennott appears on the video call and immediately launches into an excuse. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she states, seeming genuinely regretful. Although she's only slightly behind, she needs to justify. “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 exactly what is ideal to encounter. Moreover, it’s pretty predictable. Anyone who have seen her fearlessly queer and unapologetically crass movie Bottoms—which she penned with the director and starred in with collaborator the talented actress—would be aware that Sennott holds much to discuss, be it about identity, sex, or the pros of creating a teen fight club. Plus, once you finish her recent multi-episode HBO series titled I Love LA, it is clear that the star holds even more perspectives on the struggles of young adulthood (At 30, Sennott represents an honorary member of the gang, on the cusp adept for connecting different age groups).

Inspirations and Storytelling Approach

Parallels to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and Sennott readily acknowledges a fan, citing it in addition to Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and Donald Glover’s series as inspirations for I Love LA, which follows the journey of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion and aspiring agent Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the biggest spot on the moodboard belonged to the HBO series, the program about an up-and-coming A-list actor succeeding in an often-seedy entertainment industry (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She began viewing it during COVID-19, became “captivated”, and chose to create a new version on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.

“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she explains. The idea for the series emerged—partly—from firsthand, initially rocky, move to LA and from her cosmic event, a frequently discussed event for followers. That period marked a phase that saw her grasp major truths, professionally and individually. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she recalls. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”

Early Beginnings

Growing up in New England, the star commenced developing and showcasing humor while enrolled in acting at a prestigious arts school. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she states. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “None of the university plays cast me either.” “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”

She decided to act independently, taking the stage at amateur nights with Edebiri and posting hilarious (and very) unconventional online content digitally. One, titled Baby Cult, centered on several females intensely fixated on motherhood; another envisioned working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being trapped in a horror film. By chance, she encountered Emma through campus film circles and ended up featuring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a religious event with hints of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her career, she says, has been people her own age offering opportunities, instead of traditional networks. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Definitely not them”, she repeats, adding with a laugh: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”

Rising Success

Those who questioned regarding her previously will certainly be regretting it today. Through she labels a “incredibly circular” development, she seems to have created the perfect project. Previously she uploaded a video titled “it’s LA” online, in which she parodied film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s a lead creator (with her partner) of a comedy about Angelenos managing benefits of digital stardom (such as socializing at a celebrity’s house) with drawbacks (your friend being accused of being a drug-addled thief, and possibly becoming a risky outcast). Some could easy to create a series about internet celebrity that was horribly aspirational—or, even less favorable, one that belittled at the characters. The series does neither, making for a depiction of advantaged young adult existence that’s honest about the grot and the glamour.

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