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Rachel Sennott appears on the online meeting and right away starts an excuse. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, sounding truly apologetic. She is only a bit behind, she wants to clarify. “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, this is just what is ideal to hear. Moreover, it’s fairly predictable. Viewers who have seen her boldly queer and outspoken film Bottoms—that Sennott co-wrote with the director and starred in alongside close companion the talented actress—would already know that Sennott has plenty to discuss, ranging from on gender, intimacy, or the appeal of creating a high-school combat group. Plus, after watching her latest eight-part program I Love LA, it is clear that the star holds further perspectives about the struggles of modern youth (Now in her thirties, Sennott is a bridge of the gang, on the cusp adept for connecting both generations).

Influences and Artistic Direction

The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show can’t be avoided and the actress readily acknowledges a fan, naming the show together with the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as influences for her series, which follows the struggles of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend who is also new agent Sennott’s character. Notably, the largest spot on concept went to the HBO series, the HBO sitcom depicting an emerging celebrity succeeding in a gritty Hollywood (notable statement: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She began viewing it throughout COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and chose to create a new version on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.

“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she says. The concept for I Love LA came—in part—from firsthand, at first rocky, move to Los Angeles and from her cosmic event, a frequently discussed event for followers. It was a time that included her learn some big life lessons, work-wise and personally. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she says. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”

Humble Origins

Brought up in the East Coast, the star began creating and acting humor while enrolled in performance at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she states. “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. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”

She seized control, taking the stage at live shows with Ayo and uploading uproarious (and distinctly) bizarre skits online. A particular video, Baby Cult, centered on several females obsessively drawn to having babies; another envisioned being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being trapped in a thriller. Interestingly, she met Emma through NYU’s movie community and ended up featuring in her initial project, Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a funeral gathering with shades of Uncut Gems. A recurring idea of her journey, she explains, has been contemporaries offering opportunities, as opposed to established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she repeats, stating with a laugh: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”

Manifesting Dreams

Those who questioned about her previously will certainly be kicking themselves now. Through she labels a “astonishingly complete” story, she seems to have manifested her dream vehicle. A few years back she shared a clip titled “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she lampooned movie previews (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a series about LA residents managing benefits of internet fame (such as partying at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your associate being labeled as being a substance-abusing thief, and potentially becoming a unreliable outcast). Some could tempting to create a show about digital influence that was overly glamorous—or, worse, one that mocked at the characters. This show steers clear of each, creating a depiction of advantaged young adult existence that’s frank about the grot and the glamour.

Empathetic Approach

“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