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Rachel Sennott appears on the online meeting and at once begins an excuse. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, sounding truly regretful. Despite being only slightly late, she feels compelled to justify. “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 hear. Moreover, it’s fairly expected. Anyone familiar with the fearlessly openly gay and unapologetically crass movie Bottoms—which she co-wrote with Emma Seligman and featured in together with close companion the talented actress—will be aware that Sennott has a lot to share, ranging from on identity, relationships, or the merits of starting a teen brawl society. Plus, once you finish her new eight-part HBO series titled I Love LA, viewers realize that she carries further perspectives about the darker side of Gen Z life (At 30, she represents an honorary member of the gang, on the cusp with a knack for bridging both generations).

Influences and Artistic Direction

Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show can’t be avoided and the actress readily acknowledges a fan, citing it in addition to the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as inspirations for I Love LA, which follows the travails of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and ally who is also new talent manager portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the largest spot on creative vision went to the HBO series, that show about an emerging celebrity making his way in a gritty entertainment industry (memorable line: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott started watching it during lockdown, became “captivated”, and decided 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 says. The concept for this project emerged—partly—from personal, at first rocky, move to Los Angeles and from her cosmic event, a frequently discussed phenomenon for astrology heads. It was a phase that saw her grasp significant truths, in her career and personally. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she says. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. It was almost like these biblical tests …”

Humble Origins

Raised in Connecticut, Sennott started creating and acting stand-up while pursuing theatre at a prestigious arts school. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she explains. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “None of the university plays cast me either.” “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”

She seized control, taking the stage at open mics with Ayo and sharing hilarious (and distinctly) bizarre comedy videos online. A particular video, Baby Cult, centered on several females intensely drawn to pregnancy; a different one envisioned working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being stuck in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she encountered Seligman through NYU’s movie community and eventually featuring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a Jewish wake with shades of the intense thriller. The central motif of her journey, she notes, has been people her own age offering opportunities, rather than traditional networks. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “They were not involved”, she repeats, continuing amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”

Rising Success

Anyone who had doubts about her earlier will likely be feeling foolish today. Through she describes as a “incredibly circular” development, she seems to have achieved the perfect project. A few years back she posted a video titled about Los Angeles on social media, in which she lampooned film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s the co-showrunner (with the co-writer) of a show about city dwellers juggling advantages of internet fame (such as partying at a famous actor’s house) with drawbacks (your client being suspected of being a substance-abusing thief, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” pariah). It would be tempting to make a series about internet celebrity that was horribly aspirational—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at its subjects. I Love LA avoids both, resulting in a depiction of affluent twentysomething living that’s candid about the chaos and the shine.

Nuanced Portrayal

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