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Rachel Sennott appears on the online meeting and at once launches into an apology. “Apologies for the delay!” she says, seeming truly apologetic. Although she's only a couple of minutes behind, she needs to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Fortunately, for a writer, that’s exactly what is ideal to experience. Additionally, it’s fairly unsurprising. Those familiar with her boldly LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass film titled Bottoms—that she penned with Emma Seligman and appeared in with her friend the talented actress—can be aware that Sennott possesses a lot to share, be it on roles, relationships, or the appeal of starting a teen fight club. Plus, by the end the latest eight-part HBO series I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she carries additional insights regarding the struggles of young adulthood (Now in her thirties, she is a bridge for this generation, straddling eras with a knack for straddling millennials and Gen Z).

Inspirations and Creative Vision

Likenesses to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and Sennott readily acknowledges enthusiastic, referencing it alongside Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and the innovative program as guides for her series, which tracks the journey of an influencer Tallulah and her friend and aspiring representative Sennott’s character. However, the most significant influence on the moodboard was reserved for the HBO series, the program focusing on an emerging celebrity navigating in an often-seedy entertainment industry (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott discovered it during the pandemic, became “captivated”, and decided to put her own twist on it “for the girls and the gays”.

“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she explains. The inspiration for this project came—partly—from firsthand, initially rocky, relocation to LA and from the cosmic event, a much-talked-about phenomenon for followers. It was a time that included her learn major life lessons, work-wise and individually. “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.” It was almost like these biblical tests …”

Humble Origins

Raised in New England, the star began writing and performing humor while enrolled in acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she explains. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”

She seized control, performing at open mics with Ayo and sharing uproarious (and distinctly) bizarre skits digitally. One, titled Baby Cult, centered on several females obsessively obsessed with having babies; a different one portrayed being employed at the brand Hollister as like being trapped in a scary movie. Interestingly, she connected with Seligman through NYU’s movie community and eventually appearing in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful film set at a Jewish wake with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her journey, she explains, has been peers giving her a shot, as opposed to traditional networks. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “They were not involved”, she confirms, continuing amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”

Career Breakthrough

Anyone who questioned about her earlier will surely be regretting it today. In what she calls a “astonishingly complete” story, she appears to achieved her dream vehicle. In 2019 she uploaded a video named “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she lampooned movie previews (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Years later, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a series about LA residents managing the perks of digital stardom (such as celebrating at Elijah Wood’s house) with drawbacks (your client being accused of being a drug-addled criminal, and potentially becoming a risky outcast). It would be simple to make a series about online fame that was extremely glamorous—or, worse, one that belittled at its subjects. The series does neither, resulting in a depiction of advantaged young adult living that’s frank about the grot and the glamour.

Empathetic Approach

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