🔗 Share this article

Rachel Sennott enters the video call and right away begins an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, seeming genuinely remorseful. Despite being only slightly delayed, she feels compelled to explain. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Thankfully, in this context, this is just what one hopes to hear. Additionally, it’s fairly expected. Those who know her fearlessly LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass movie Bottoms—that Sennott co-wrote with her creative partner and featured in with collaborator the talented actress—would understand that she possesses plenty to share, ranging from about identity, relationships, or the appeal of creating a teen fight club. Furthermore, after watching her new multi-episode HBO series I Love LA, viewers realize that she carries additional perspectives on the darker side of modern youth (As a millennial, Sennott is a relatable figure to younger audiences, a tale-end millennial skilled for bridging both generations).

Guiding Lights and Creative Vision

Parallels to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and Sennott is an admirer, referencing it in addition to the classic series, Insecure and the innovative program as guides for the project, which details the travails of an influencer Tallulah and close companion who is also fledgling representative portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the most significant spot on the moodboard belonged to the HBO series, the HBO sitcom depicting an emerging celebrity succeeding in an often-seedy entertainment industry (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott discovered it during the pandemic, became “captivated”, and resolved 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 explains. The inspiration for the series came—partly—from her own, at first fractious, transition to Tinseltown and from her cosmic event, a much-talked-about phenomenon for enthusiasts. It was a time that involved her learn major truths, in her career and in private life. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she recalls. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” It was almost like these biblical tests …”

Starting Out

Brought up in the East Coast, the star began developing and showcasing humor while pursuing theatre at a prestigious arts school. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she states. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” 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, appearing at open mics with her friend and uploading hysterical (and decidedly) weird comedy videos online. A particular video, Baby Cult, followed a group of women obsessively fixated on pregnancy; a different one portrayed being employed at the brand Hollister as similar to being caught in a horror film. Interestingly, she met Emma through NYU’s movie community and ended up featuring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a funeral gathering with hints of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The big theme of her path, she explains, has been contemporaries supporting her, rather than the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, continuing with a laugh: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”

Rising Success

Anyone who questioned about her previously will likely be kicking themselves now. As part of she calls a “astonishingly complete” story, she has manifested her dream vehicle. In 2019 she uploaded content titled about Los Angeles on social media, in which she lampooned movie previews (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Six years on, she’s a lead creator (with the co-writer) of a series about LA residents balancing the perks of digital stardom (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your associate being suspected of being a drug-addled criminal, and possibly becoming a unreliable pariah). It would be easy to make a show about internet celebrity that was horribly glamorous—or, worse, one that punched down at its subjects. I Love LA does neither, resulting in a depiction of affluent twentysomething existence that’s honest about the grot and the glamour.

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