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Rachel Sennott joins the video call and immediately starts an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, sounding truly remorseful. Despite being only slightly behind, she needs to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Fortunately, in this context, this is precisely what one hopes to experience. Besides, it’s pretty expected. Viewers familiar with the boldly LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass project Bottoms—that she penned with the director and appeared in with her friend the talented actress—will understand that Sennott has much to share, ranging from about identity, relationships, or the appeal of creating a youth combat group. Plus, once you finish the new seasonal program titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star carries even more thoughts about the struggles of modern youth (As a millennial, she is a relatable figure to younger audiences, on the cusp skilled for connecting different age groups).

Influences and Creative Vision

Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show can’t be avoided and Sennott readily acknowledges an admirer, referencing it in addition to the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as influences for I Love LA, which tracks the journey of a social media star Tallulah and her friend who is also fledgling agent Maia. Notably, the biggest influence on concept was reserved for Entourage, the show depicting an up-and-coming celebrity navigating in a gritty LA scene (notable statement: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott started watching it throughout lockdown, became “captivated”, and chose to create a new version 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 says. The concept for the series originated—in part—from her own, at first fractious, transition to Los Angeles and from her cosmic event, a popular phenomenon for followers. It was a time that involved her learn major life lessons, professionally and in private life. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she recalls. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”

Humble Origins

Growing up in the East Coast, the star began writing and performing comedy while studying performance at a prestigious arts school. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she says. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “None of the university plays cast me either.” And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”

She seized control, taking the stage at amateur nights with Edebiri and uploading hilarious (and very) bizarre skits digitally. One, titled Baby Cult, followed characters intensely obsessed with motherhood; a different one imagined working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being stuck in a scary movie. Interestingly, she encountered Emma through NYU’s movie community and ultimately starring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, a tense film set at a Jewish wake with shades of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The big theme of her journey, she explains, has been people her own age giving her a shot, instead of the industry at large. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, stating with a laugh: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”

Career Breakthrough

Individuals who had doubts about her previously will certainly be regretting it now. As part of she describes as a “incredibly circular” story, she appears to created her dream vehicle. Previously she uploaded a clip called “it’s LA” online, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Years later, she’s a lead creator (with the co-writer) of a series about LA residents balancing benefits of internet fame (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with its pitfalls (your client being labeled as being a substance-abusing criminal, and potentially becoming a unreliable outcast). Some could easy to create a program about online fame that was horribly aspirational—or, worse, one that punched down at those depicted. This show steers clear of each, creating a depiction of privileged young adult existence that’s frank about the grot and the shine.

Nuanced Portrayal

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