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Rachel Sennott enters the online meeting and right away begins an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, seeming genuinely regretful. Although she's only slightly behind, she feels compelled to clarify. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Fortunately, in this context, this is exactly what one hopes to encounter. Besides, it’s quite predictable. Anyone familiar with the unapologetically openly gay and brash film titled Bottoms—which Sennott penned with Emma Seligman and appeared in alongside collaborator Ayo Edebiri—will understand that Sennott possesses much to say, be it on identity, intimacy, or the merits of creating a youth fight club. Plus, by the end the new multi-episode program I Love LA, it is clear that she carries further insights about the challenges of modern youth (At 30, Sennott serves as a relatable figure for this generation, a tale-end millennial skilled for bridging millennials and Gen Z).

Influences and Creative Vision

Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show are inevitable and Sennott readily acknowledges an admirer, naming it alongside the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as influences for her series, which tracks the travails of online personality Tallulah and ally who is also fledgling agent Maia. However, the most significant influence on creative vision was reserved for the HBO series, the show depicting an emerging Hollywood star navigating in an often-seedy Hollywood (memorable line: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott started watching it throughout the pandemic, became “hooked”, and chose to add a fresh perspective 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 concept for the series emerged—to some extent—from firsthand, initially difficult, relocation to Los Angeles and from the astrological phase, a frequently discussed event for astrology heads. It was a time that involved her understand major truths, work-wise and personally. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she admits. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”

Humble Origins

Raised in Connecticut, Sennott started developing and showcasing stand-up while enrolled in theatre 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 states. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”

She decided to act independently, taking the stage at live shows with Ayo and posting hilarious (and distinctly) unconventional comedy videos digitally. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, depicted several females obsessively drawn to having babies; another portrayed working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being caught in a scary movie. Interestingly, she encountered Seligman through NYU’s movie community and eventually starring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful film set at a Jewish wake with shades of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her journey, she says, has been people her own age offering opportunities, instead of established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she repeats, continuing with a laugh: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”

Manifesting Dreams

Those who had doubts about Sennott then will surely be feeling foolish currently. Through she labels a “astonishingly complete” story, she appears to created an ideal role. Previously she shared content titled about Los Angeles on the internet, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with her partner) of a series about city dwellers balancing benefits of internet fame (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your client being suspected of being a drug-addled stealer, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” pariah). Some could tempting to produce a series about internet celebrity that was overly idealized—or, even less favorable, one that mocked at its subjects. This show avoids both, resulting in a portrait of advantaged young adult existence that’s candid about the chaos and the glamour.

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