🔗 Share this article

Rachel Sennott joins the digital interview and immediately begins an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, seeming really apologetic. She is only a bit late, she wants to explain. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Fortunately, in this context, that’s precisely what you want to encounter. Additionally, it’s fairly expected. Viewers who have seen the unapologetically LGBTQ+ and outspoken project titled Bottoms—that Sennott collaborated on with the director and featured in alongside her friend Ayo Edebiri—will be aware that Sennott holds much to share, ranging from on roles, relationships, or the appeal of forming a high-school fight club. Plus, after watching the recent eight-part HBO series titled I Love LA, viewers realize that the star carries additional thoughts about the struggles of young adulthood (As a millennial, Sennott is a bridge to younger audiences, on the cusp skilled for bridging both generations).

Guiding Lights and Storytelling Approach

Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and the actress readily acknowledges a fan, referencing it alongside the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as guides for the project, which details the struggles of an influencer Tallulah and her friend who is also fledgling representative portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the most significant influence on the moodboard was reserved for Entourage, that HBO sitcom depicting an up-and-coming A-list actor making his way in a gritty Hollywood (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She started watching it amid COVID-19, became “captivated”, and resolved to create a new version 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 concept for I Love LA originated—in part—from firsthand, at first difficult, move to LA and from her cosmic event, a popular phenomenon for enthusiasts. That period marked a phase that saw her understand significant insights, work-wise and in private life. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she says. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”

Humble Origins

Growing up in New England, the star began creating and acting humor while enrolled in acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she states. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “None of the university plays cast me either.” “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”

She took matters into her own hands, appearing at live shows with Ayo and uploading hysterical (and decidedly) bizarre comedy videos digitally. One, titled Baby Cult, followed a group of women fetishistically fixated on motherhood; another envisioned being employed at a trendy retail outlet as akin to being trapped in a scary movie. By chance, she connected with Emma through NYU’s movie community and ultimately starring in her first film, Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a funeral gathering with hints of the Safdie brothers’ movie. A recurring idea of her journey, she explains, has been people her own age supporting her, rather than established gatekeepers. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “They were not involved”, she confirms, continuing with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”

Career Breakthrough

Individuals who had doubts regarding her earlier will certainly be kicking themselves today. In what she describes as a “incredibly circular” development, she seems to have achieved an ideal role. Previously she uploaded a clip titled “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with Emma Barrie) of a show about LA residents balancing benefits of online celebrity (such as partying at a famous actor’s house) with downsides (your friend being suspected of being a substance-abusing stealer, and possibly becoming a risky persona non grata). Some could simple to create a show about digital influence that was extremely glamorous—or, more problematic, one that mocked at the characters. I Love LA avoids both, resulting in a representation of privileged twentysomething life that’s frank about the mess and the shine.

Empathetic Approach

“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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