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Rachel Sennott joins the video call and immediately starts an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, appearing really remorseful. Despite being only a bit delayed, she needs to explain. “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, this is exactly what is ideal to encounter. Besides, it’s fairly expected. Those who know her boldly queer and outspoken film Bottoms—which Sennott collaborated on with the director and starred in with collaborator The Bear’s standout—can be aware that Sennott has much to share, be it on roles, relationships, or the merits of creating a teen combat group. Plus, by the end the new multi-episode HBO series I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star has additional perspectives about the challenges of young adulthood (Now in her thirties, she is a relatable figure to younger audiences, straddling eras skilled for bridging millennials and Gen Z).

Influences and Creative Vision

Parallels to the iconic series Girls can’t be avoided and the actress is a fan, naming it alongside Sex and the City, Insecure and the innovative program as inspirations for her series, which tracks the journey of a social media star Tallulah and ally who is also new talent manager portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the most significant presence on the moodboard was reserved for the popular sitcom, the program about an emerging A-list actor succeeding in an often-seedy LA scene (notable statement: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She discovered it throughout COVID-19, became “captivated”, and chose to put her own twist 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 says. The inspiration for this project emerged—in part—from personal, initially rocky, relocation to LA and from her saturn return, a much-talked-about event for enthusiasts. It was an era that involved her learn some big truths, in her career and individually. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” 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…”

Humble Origins

Raised in New England, the star commenced developing and showcasing humor while pursuing theatre at NYU’s Tisch. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she explains. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. 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?”

She decided to act independently, taking the stage at live shows with Edebiri and sharing hysterical (and very) bizarre comedy videos online. One, Baby Cult, centered on characters intensely obsessed with motherhood; another portrayed working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being caught in a horror film. By chance, she connected with Seligman through the university’s film scene and eventually featuring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a tense film set at a religious event with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The big theme of her path, she notes, has been contemporaries supporting her, as opposed to established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, continuing amusedly: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”

Manifesting Dreams

Those who were skeptical about Sennott previously will likely be regretting it today. Through she calls a “wild, full-circle” story, she seems to have achieved an ideal role. Previously she posted a video titled “it’s LA” online, in which she mocked film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with her partner) of a series about LA residents managing advantages of internet fame (such as celebrating at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your friend being suspected of being a substance-abusing criminal, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). One might tempting to produce a show about digital influence that was overly glamorous—or, worse, one that punched down at those depicted. I Love LA steers clear of each, resulting in a depiction of affluent millennial living that’s candid about the mess 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