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Rachel Sennott joins the digital interview and immediately starts an apology. “Apologies for the delay!” she says, appearing truly regretful. Although she's only a couple of minutes late, she feels compelled to justify. “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!” Fortunately, during an interview, that’s precisely what you want to hear. Moreover, it’s pretty expected. Anyone who know her boldly queer and unapologetically crass project titled Bottoms—that Sennott penned with the director and appeared in together with collaborator The Bear’s standout—would be aware that Sennott possesses plenty to share, be it about gender, relationships, or the appeal of forming a youth combat group. Furthermore, after watching the latest multi-episode program I Love LA, viewers realize that the star carries further perspectives regarding the darker side of Gen Z life (At 30, she is an honorary member for this generation, straddling eras with a knack for connecting both generations).

Inspirations and Creative Vision

Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls can’t be avoided and the actress is enthusiastic, referencing the show alongside the classic series, Insecure and Donald Glover’s series as influences for I Love LA, which details the travails of a social media star Tallulah and close companion and aspiring talent manager portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the biggest spot on concept belonged to Entourage, the show depicting a rising A-list actor navigating in a corrupt Hollywood (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott began viewing it amid the pandemic, became “captivated”, and decided to add a fresh perspective on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.

“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she says. The inspiration for the series originated—to some extent—from her own, at first difficult, transition to Los Angeles and from her saturn return, a frequently discussed phenomenon for enthusiasts. That period marked a time that included her grasp major truths, professionally and individually. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” 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 was almost like these biblical tests …”

Humble Origins

Brought up in Connecticut, the star started creating and acting comedy while studying theatre at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she explains. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “None of the university plays cast me either.” And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”

She decided to act independently, appearing at live shows with Edebiri and sharing hysterical (and decidedly) bizarre online content digitally. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, depicted a group of women fetishistically fixated on motherhood; a different one portrayed being employed at a trendy retail outlet as akin to being caught in a scary movie. By chance, she connected with Emma through campus film circles and ultimately featuring in her initial project, Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a funeral gathering with shades of the Safdie brothers’ movie. A recurring idea 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: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”

Manifesting Dreams

Anyone who had doubts regarding Sennott previously will certainly be kicking themselves now. In what she describes as a “wild, full-circle” turn of events, she appears to achieved an ideal role. In 2019 she uploaded content called on LA life online, in which she mocked film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Six years on, she’s a lead creator (with her partner) of a comedy about city dwellers managing benefits of digital stardom (such as celebrating at Elijah Wood’s house) with drawbacks (your client being labeled as being a substance-abusing stealer, and perhaps becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). It would be tempting to create a program about digital influence that was overly aspirational—or, worse, one that mocked at those depicted. The series avoids both, creating a representation of privileged young adult living that’s candid about the mess and the appeal.

Balanced Perspective

“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