Rachel Sennott discussing her hilarious show depicting the grotty allure of younger generation life

The performer enters the digital interview and right away begins an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, seeming really regretful. Despite being only slightly behind, she needs to clarify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, for a writer, this is exactly what one hopes to encounter. Moreover, it’s quite expected. Those who have seen the unapologetically openly gay and unapologetically crass movie Bottoms—that she penned with her creative partner and featured in with collaborator The Bear’s standout—would understand that she possesses much to say, whether about gender, sex, or the pros of forming a high-school fight club. Plus, by the end her recent multi-episode program I Love LA, viewers realize that the star holds additional insights on the challenges of modern youth (As a millennial, she represents a relatable figure for this generation, on the cusp adept for connecting millennials and Gen Z).

Guiding Lights and Creative Vision

The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show can’t be avoided and Sennott is an admirer, citing the show in addition to the HBO hit, Insecure and the innovative program as guides for the project, which details the journey of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and ally and fledgling representative portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the largest spot on concept went to the HBO series, the program about an up-and-coming celebrity making his way in a gritty entertainment industry (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She started watching it throughout lockdown, became “hooked”, and decided to add a fresh perspective 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 explains. The idea for the series came—in part—from firsthand, at first rocky, relocation to Tinseltown and from her astrological phase, a much-talked-about phenomenon for astrology heads. This represented an era that included her grasp significant life lessons, work-wise and personally. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” 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 …”

Starting Out

Growing up in New England, the star started writing and performing humor while studying theatre at a prestigious arts school. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” 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.” And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”

She seized control, taking the stage at live shows with her friend and sharing hilarious (and distinctly) bizarre online content on the internet. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, followed several females obsessively fixated on motherhood; a different one imagined being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being trapped in a thriller. In a neat twist of fate, she encountered Seligman through campus film circles and ended up starring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful film set at a religious event with hints of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her career, she says, has been peers offering opportunities, instead of traditional networks. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she confirms, continuing with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”

Rising Success

Those who were skeptical regarding her previously will surely be regretting it today. In what she calls a “astonishingly complete” development, she has created her dream vehicle. In 2019 she shared content titled “it’s LA” online, in which she mocked film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Six years on, she’s a lead creator (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about LA residents balancing benefits of internet fame (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your associate being accused of being a intoxicated stealer, and perhaps becoming a unreliable outcast). It would be tempting to create a show about online fame that was overly glamorous—or, worse, one that mocked at the characters. I Love LA steers clear of each, making for a representation of advantaged twentysomething life that’s frank about the grot and the shine.

Nuanced Portrayal

“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

Tammy Moody
Tammy Moody

A tech enthusiast and writer with a passion for exploring innovative gadgets and sharing practical advice for everyday users.