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Rachel Sennott joins the video call and immediately begins an apology. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, seeming truly remorseful. Although she's only slightly late, she feels compelled to justify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Luckily, during an interview, that’s just what is ideal to encounter. Additionally, it’s quite unsurprising. Anyone familiar with the boldly LGBTQ+ and outspoken project Bottoms—which Sennott collaborated on with her creative partner and starred in alongside collaborator the talented actress—would understand that Sennott possesses much to share, whether on identity, sex, or the pros of creating a teen combat group. Plus, after watching the recent eight-part show I Love LA, it is clear that she carries additional thoughts regarding the struggles of modern youth (Now in her thirties, she represents a relatable figure of the gang, on the cusp skilled for straddling millennials and Gen Z).

Guiding Lights and Creative Vision

Likenesses to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and the actress readily acknowledges an admirer, referencing the show together with the HBO hit, Insecure and Donald Glover’s series as inspirations for I Love LA, which details the struggles of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and ally who is also aspiring representative portrayed by Sennott. However, the biggest spot on creative vision was reserved for the popular sitcom, the HBO sitcom focusing on an up-and-coming Hollywood star succeeding in a gritty Hollywood (memorable line: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She started watching it amid COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and decided to add a fresh perspective on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.

“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she explains. The concept for I Love LA emerged—in part—from firsthand, at first rocky, move to LA and from the astrological phase, a popular event for followers. That period marked a phase that involved her grasp some big life lessons, professionally and in private life. “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. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”

Starting Out

Raised in New England, the star began developing and showcasing humor while enrolled in theatre at NYU’s Tisch. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she states. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”

Sennott seized control, appearing at live shows with her friend and uploading hilarious (and very) weird comedy videos digitally. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, followed characters fetishistically drawn to pregnancy; another portrayed being employed at a trendy retail outlet as similar to being caught in a scary movie. Interestingly, she met Seligman through the university’s film scene and ultimately starring in her first film, Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a religious event with hints of the intense thriller. The big theme of her career, she notes, has been contemporaries supporting her, instead of the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, stating humorously: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”

Manifesting Dreams

Anyone who were skeptical about Sennott previously will certainly be feeling foolish today. Through she labels a “incredibly circular” development, she has achieved her dream vehicle. In 2019 she shared a video named on LA life online, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Years later, she’s a lead creator (with Emma Barrie) of a series about Angelenos managing the perks of internet fame (such as socializing at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your client being accused of being a substance-abusing thief, and possibly becoming a unreliable persona non grata). Some could simple to produce a program about internet celebrity that was horribly idealized—or, worse, one that mocked at the characters. This show does neither, resulting in a depiction of affluent young adult living that’s candid about the mess and the appeal.

Nuanced Portrayal

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