The actress and writer exploring her uproarious show depicting the chaotic appeal of Gen Z existence

Rachel Sennott joins the video call and right away begins an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, appearing truly remorseful. Although she's only a bit late, she feels compelled to clarify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Thankfully, during an interview, that’s precisely what one hopes to encounter. Moreover, it’s quite expected. Those who have seen the unapologetically openly gay and unapologetically crass project Bottoms—which Sennott collaborated on with Emma Seligman and appeared in alongside close companion the talented actress—can understand that Sennott holds much to say, ranging from about gender, relationships, or the appeal of creating a high-school brawl society. And, after watching the recent seasonal show I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star has additional insights on the darker side of modern youth (As a millennial, Sennott is a bridge to younger audiences, straddling eras with a knack for connecting millennials and Gen Z).

Influences and Storytelling Approach

Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and the actress readily acknowledges enthusiastic, referencing the show alongside the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as guides for the project, which follows the travails of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion and fledgling representative portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the largest influence on concept went to Entourage, that HBO sitcom depicting a rising A-list actor making his way in an often-seedy entertainment industry (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott started watching it throughout the pandemic, became “captivated”, and chose to put her own twist on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.

“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she notes. The idea for I Love LA came—partly—from her own, originally rocky, relocation to LA and from the cosmic event, a much-talked-about event for followers. This represented a time that included her learn major insights, in her career and individually. “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.” “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”

Starting Out

Growing up in the East Coast, Sennott commenced developing and showcasing stand-up while enrolled in performance at NYU’s Tisch. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she says. “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. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”

Sennott seized control, taking the stage at live shows with Edebiri and sharing hilarious (and decidedly) unconventional comedy videos online. A particular video, Baby Cult, depicted a group of women intensely drawn to pregnancy; a different one imagined being employed at a trendy retail outlet as similar to being caught in a thriller. By chance, she met Seligman through NYU’s movie community and ultimately starring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a funeral gathering with shades of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her journey, she notes, has been contemporaries supporting her, as opposed to traditional networks. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she repeats, continuing humorously: “They don’t want us to win.”

Rising Success

Those who had doubts about Sennott then will certainly be regretting it now. As part of she labels a “wild, full-circle” story, she has achieved the perfect project. In 2019 she shared a video titled on LA life on social media, in which she mocked film promos (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Years later, she’s a lead creator (with her partner) of a show about city dwellers balancing advantages of online celebrity (such as socializing at a famous actor’s house) with downsides (your associate being accused of being a drug-addled stealer, and potentially becoming a risky persona non grata). It would be easy to make a program about online fame that was horribly aspirational—or, more problematic, one that belittled at its subjects. This show does neither, making for a representation of privileged millennial existence that’s candid about the grot and the shine.

Nuanced Portrayal

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