The actress and writer discussing her side-splitting comedy depicting that chaotic allure of Gen Z existence

Rachel Sennott joins the video call and immediately launches into an apology. “Apologies for the delay!” she exclaims, appearing really apologetic. Despite being only a couple of minutes delayed, she needs to clarify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Luckily, for a writer, this is exactly what one hopes to hear. Moreover, it’s quite predictable. Viewers who have seen her fearlessly queer and outspoken movie Bottoms—which Sennott co-wrote with Emma Seligman and featured in with close companion The Bear’s standout—can already know that she possesses plenty to say, ranging from about roles, intimacy, or the appeal of creating a teen brawl society. Plus, by the end her new eight-part program titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star has further insights regarding the darker side of young adulthood (Now in her thirties, Sennott serves as a relatable figure to younger audiences, straddling eras skilled for straddling both generations).

Guiding Lights and Storytelling Approach

The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show can’t be avoided and the actress is an admirer, citing it together with Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as influences for I Love LA, which tracks the travails of online personality Tallulah and close companion and aspiring representative Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the biggest influence on the moodboard was reserved for the HBO series, that HBO sitcom focusing on an emerging celebrity making his way in an often-seedy LA scene (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She discovered it amid COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and decided to create a new version on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.

“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she explains. The inspiration for I Love LA originated—in part—from personal, at first rocky, relocation to Los Angeles and from the saturn return, a popular occurrence for enthusiasts. This represented an era that involved her learn significant 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 resembled a series of extreme challenges…”

Early Beginnings

Growing up in Connecticut, Sennott commenced developing and showcasing humor while studying acting at a prestigious arts school. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she states. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”

Sennott seized control, taking the stage at live shows with her friend and sharing hilarious (and distinctly) unconventional comedy videos on the internet. One, titled Baby Cult, centered on characters intensely fixated on having babies; another imagined being employed at a trendy retail outlet as similar to being trapped in a scary movie. By chance, she connected with Emma through the university’s film scene and eventually appearing in her first film, Shiva Baby, a stressful film set at a Jewish wake with shades of the intense thriller. The central motif of her career, she says, has been contemporaries supporting her, as opposed to established gatekeepers. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, adding with a laugh: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”

Career Breakthrough

Those who had doubts regarding Sennott previously will likely be regretting it today. In what she labels a “incredibly circular” turn of events, she appears to achieved the perfect project. In 2019 she uploaded a video titled about Los Angeles on social media, in which she parodied Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a show about city dwellers juggling advantages of digital stardom (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being accused of being a substance-abusing thief, and potentially becoming a risky outcast). One might easy to make a series about online fame that was extremely aspirational—or, worse, one that mocked at its subjects. I Love LA does neither, making for a depiction of affluent millennial living that’s honest about the mess and the glamour.

Nuanced Portrayal

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

Kathryn Brock
Kathryn Brock

A cybersecurity specialist with over a decade of experience in digital forensics and threat analysis, passionate about educating on tech safety.