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Rachel Sennott appears on the online meeting and at once launches into an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she exclaims, seeming really apologetic. Although she's only slightly delayed, she needs 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!” Thankfully, in this context, this is exactly what one hopes to hear. Besides, it’s fairly unsurprising. Those who know her fearlessly LGBTQ+ and outspoken project Bottoms—that Sennott collaborated on with the director and starred in alongside close companion the talented actress—will be aware that Sennott possesses a lot to say, ranging from about identity, sex, or the pros of creating a youth fight club. And, after watching her recent seasonal show titled I Love LA, viewers realize that the star has even more perspectives regarding the challenges of Gen Z life (At 30, she is an honorary member of the gang, a tale-end millennial adept for connecting both generations).

Influences and Storytelling Approach

Likenesses to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and the actress admits to being a fan, citing it in addition to the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as inspirations for I Love LA, which details the journey of a social media star Tallulah and ally who is also new talent manager Sennott’s character. However, the biggest presence on concept went to Entourage, that program about an emerging A-list actor making his way in an often-seedy entertainment industry (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott discovered it amid the pandemic, became “hooked”, and chose to add a fresh perspective on it “for the girls and the gays”.

“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she explains. The inspiration for I Love LA came—in part—from firsthand, initially difficult, move to Tinseltown and from her astrological phase, a popular event for followers. That period marked a phase that saw her understand some big life lessons, professionally and individually. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she recalls. “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 …”

Early Beginnings

Growing up in the East Coast, the star began creating and acting humor while enrolled in theatre at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she states. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”

She seized control, taking the stage at amateur nights with her friend and sharing hysterical (and decidedly) unconventional skits digitally. One, titled Baby Cult, followed characters intensely fixated on pregnancy; a different one imagined working at the brand Hollister as akin to being caught in a horror film. By chance, she met Seligman through NYU’s movie community and ended up featuring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, a tense film set at a religious event with shades of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her path, she explains, has been people her own age offering opportunities, as opposed to traditional networks. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she emphasizes, stating amusedly: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”

Manifesting Dreams

Those who had doubts regarding her previously will surely be feeling foolish now. Through she calls a “wild, full-circle” story, she appears to manifested her dream vehicle. Previously she posted a video titled “it’s LA” on social media, in which she parodied movie previews (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Six years on, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a series about city dwellers managing the perks of online celebrity (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with drawbacks (your friend being accused of being a drug-addled thief, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). Some could simple to make a program about digital influence that was overly aspirational—or, worse, one that punched down at the characters. The series does neither, making for a depiction of advantaged young adult life that’s candid about the grot and the glamour.

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