The actress and writer on the hilarious show portraying that chaotic appeal of today's youth lifestyle

Rachel Sennott appears on the online meeting and at once launches into an explanation. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, appearing truly apologetic. Although she's only a couple of minutes late, she wants to justify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, during an interview, that’s precisely what is ideal to hear. Additionally, it’s quite expected. Anyone familiar with the boldly queer and outspoken project titled Bottoms—which she collaborated on with Emma Seligman and appeared in alongside her friend The Bear’s standout—will already know that Sennott possesses much to discuss, whether about identity, sex, or the pros of creating a high-school combat group. And, by the end her latest seasonal program I Love LA, it is clear that she has additional insights about the challenges of Gen Z life (As a millennial, Sennott serves as a relatable figure for this generation, a tale-end millennial with a knack for straddling both generations).

Guiding Lights and Artistic Direction

Parallels to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and Sennott readily acknowledges an admirer, referencing it alongside the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and the innovative program as inspirations for her series, which tracks the travails of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and ally who is also fledgling agent Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the most significant influence on the moodboard went to the HBO series, the program depicting a rising Hollywood star navigating in an often-seedy entertainment industry (memorable line: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott discovered it amid COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and decided to create a new version on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.

“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she says. The concept for this project originated—partly—from her own, at first rocky, transition to LA and from the saturn return, a much-talked-about phenomenon for followers. That period marked a time that involved her learn some big insights, work-wise and in private life. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she says. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”

Humble Origins

Raised in New England, Sennott started creating and acting comedy while enrolled in performance at NYU’s Tisch. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she states. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”

Sennott decided to act independently, appearing at amateur nights with Ayo and uploading hilarious (and very) bizarre comedy videos digitally. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, followed a group of women obsessively fixated on pregnancy; another imagined being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being trapped in a thriller. In a neat twist of fate, she connected with Emma through NYU’s movie community and ended up featuring in her initial project, Shiva Baby, a tense film set at a religious event with hints of the Safdie brothers’ movie. A recurring idea of her journey, she notes, has been peers giving her a shot, instead of the industry at large. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “They were not involved”, she repeats, stating amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”

Rising Success

Those who had doubts regarding Sennott earlier will likely be feeling foolish now. As part of she labels a “incredibly circular” story, she has manifested the perfect project. Previously she posted content titled “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she lampooned film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Years later, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a comedy about LA residents juggling the perks of internet fame (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being labeled as being a intoxicated thief, and possibly becoming a unreliable persona non grata). It would be easy to create a series about digital influence that was horribly glamorous—or, worse, one that punched down at the characters. This show steers clear of each, creating a depiction of affluent young adult existence that’s candid 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