Rachel Sennott on the hilarious series depicting the chaotic allure of today's youth lifestyle

The star joins the digital interview and immediately begins an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she exclaims, appearing truly apologetic. Despite being only a bit late, she wants 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, that’s exactly what you want to experience. Besides, it’s fairly predictable. Anyone familiar with her boldly queer and brash film Bottoms—which she co-wrote with her creative partner and starred in together with collaborator The Bear’s standout—would already know that she possesses a lot to discuss, whether about roles, intimacy, or the merits of creating a teen combat group. Plus, after watching her recent multi-episode HBO series titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star has further perspectives on the challenges of modern youth (As a millennial, she serves as an honorary member of the gang, a tale-end millennial with a knack for straddling both generations).

Guiding Lights and Creative Vision

The comparisons to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and Sennott is an admirer, referencing it in addition to Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as guides for the project, which details the journey of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and ally who is also aspiring representative portrayed by Sennott. However, the biggest influence on the moodboard was reserved for Entourage, the HBO sitcom focusing on an emerging A-list actor navigating in a gritty LA scene (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott began viewing it during lockdown, became “obsessed”, and chose to put her own twist on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.

“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she says. The idea for the series originated—partly—from personal, at first rocky, move to Los Angeles and from her saturn return, a frequently discussed event for followers. This represented a time that saw her understand significant life lessons, work-wise and personally. “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. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”

Humble Origins

Growing up in New England, the star commenced creating and acting comedy while pursuing theatre at a prestigious arts school. “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. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”

Sennott decided to act independently, appearing at amateur nights with Edebiri and posting uproarious (and distinctly) weird skits on the internet. One, Baby Cult, centered on a group of women obsessively fixated on having babies; another envisioned being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being stuck in a horror film. Interestingly, she met Emma through the university’s film scene and ultimately featuring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a Jewish wake with hints of the intense thriller. The big theme of her path, she notes, has been peers supporting her, as opposed to the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she repeats, adding with a laugh: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”

Manifesting Dreams

Anyone who had doubts regarding Sennott earlier will surely be regretting it today. In what she describes as a “astonishingly complete” turn of events, she appears to achieved the perfect project. In 2019 she posted a clip named “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she mocked film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a show about Angelenos managing benefits of internet fame (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with drawbacks (your associate being accused of being a drug-addled stealer, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). It would be tempting to produce a program about internet celebrity that was horribly idealized—or, worse, one that punched down at its subjects. I Love LA does neither, making for a depiction of advantaged millennial existence that’s honest about the mess and the appeal.

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

Heather Brown
Heather Brown

A writer and mindfulness coach passionate about exploring life's simple joys and sharing personal growth insights.