The actress and writer exploring her hilarious series depicting that messy glamour of Gen Z lifestyle

Rachel Sennott joins the video call and at once begins an apology. “Apologies for the delay!” she says, appearing really regretful. She is only a couple of minutes late, she wants to clarify. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Fortunately, in this context, that’s exactly what you want to experience. Additionally, it’s pretty unsurprising. Those who know the fearlessly queer and brash film titled Bottoms—which she co-wrote with her creative partner and appeared in with collaborator the talented actress—would be aware that Sennott possesses plenty to say, be it on identity, intimacy, or the appeal of forming a high-school fight club. And, once you finish the new seasonal HBO series I Love LA, viewers realize that the star has even more insights regarding the struggles of young adulthood (At 30, she represents an honorary member for this generation, on the cusp adept for bridging different age groups).

Inspirations and Creative Vision

Parallels to the iconic series Girls can’t be avoided and the actress admits to being a fan, referencing the show together with Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as influences for the project, which details the travails of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion and fledgling agent portrayed by Sennott. However, the biggest influence on the moodboard was reserved for the popular sitcom, that show focusing on an up-and-coming Hollywood star succeeding in a corrupt entertainment industry (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott began viewing it amid lockdown, became “captivated”, and chose to put her own twist 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 inspiration for I Love LA came—to some extent—from firsthand, initially fractious, relocation to Los Angeles and from her cosmic event, a frequently discussed event for astrology heads. That period marked a time that saw her learn 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…”

Starting Out

Growing up in the East Coast, Sennott started writing and performing stand-up while studying theatre at NYU’s Tisch. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” 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 took matters into her own hands, appearing at open mics with Ayo and posting hysterical (and very) bizarre online content on the internet. A particular video, Baby Cult, centered on several females obsessively drawn to having babies; another imagined being employed at a trendy retail outlet as akin to being caught in a thriller. By chance, she encountered Seligman through NYU’s movie community and ultimately starring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a Jewish wake with hints of Uncut Gems. A recurring idea of her career, she explains, has been people her own age giving her a shot, as opposed to established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she confirms, adding amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”

Manifesting Dreams

Anyone who questioned about her earlier will likely be kicking themselves now. As part of she calls a “wild, full-circle” development, she appears to manifested an ideal role. Previously she posted a video titled about Los Angeles on social media, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Years later, she’s a lead creator (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about city dwellers balancing advantages of online celebrity (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being suspected of being a intoxicated stealer, and perhaps becoming a unreliable outcast). One might easy to produce a program about digital influence that was overly idealized—or, more problematic, one that punched down at those depicted. I Love LA avoids both, creating a depiction of advantaged twentysomething life that’s frank about the grot and the shine.

Empathetic Approach

“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” 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