Rachel Sennott on the hilarious series about the chaotic appeal of Gen Z life

The star appears on the digital interview and immediately starts an explanation. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, seeming really regretful. Although she's only a bit delayed, she needs to justify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, during an interview, this is just what one hopes to experience. Moreover, it’s fairly expected. Those who have seen her unapologetically LGBTQ+ and brash film Bottoms—that she collaborated on with Emma Seligman and featured in together with her friend the talented actress—will already know that Sennott has a lot to discuss, ranging from about gender, intimacy, or the merits of starting a high-school fight club. Furthermore, after watching her recent multi-episode HBO series titled I Love LA, viewers realize that she holds additional perspectives regarding the darker side of modern youth (As a millennial, she serves as a bridge for this generation, a tale-end millennial with a knack for connecting both generations).

Inspirations and Creative Vision

Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and the actress admits to being enthusiastic, referencing the show together with the classic series, the acclaimed comedy and Donald Glover’s series as guides for her series, which follows the journey of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend who is also aspiring representative portrayed by Sennott. However, the largest influence on creative vision was reserved for the popular sitcom, that HBO sitcom depicting a rising celebrity making his way in a corrupt entertainment industry (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She discovered it throughout lockdown, became “obsessed”, and chose to create a new version on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.

“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she explains. The inspiration for the series emerged—in part—from her own, at first difficult, move to Tinseltown and from her cosmic event, a much-talked-about event for enthusiasts. This represented an era that saw her learn major truths, work-wise and in private life. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she admits. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”

Humble Origins

Growing up in Connecticut, Sennott started creating and acting stand-up while studying performance at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” 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.”

Sennott decided to act independently, appearing at open mics with Edebiri and sharing hilarious (and very) weird comedy videos online. One, Baby Cult, depicted characters fetishistically fixated on motherhood; a different one envisioned working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being caught in a horror film. By chance, she encountered Emma through campus film circles and ended up featuring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a Jewish wake with hints of Uncut Gems. The central motif of her journey, she notes, has been contemporaries supporting her, rather than traditional networks. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, continuing humorously: “They don’t want us to win.”

Rising Success

Those who questioned regarding Sennott then will likely be feeling foolish now. In what she labels a “wild, full-circle” story, she has created an ideal role. In 2019 she uploaded a clip titled “it’s LA” on social media, in which she lampooned movie previews (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Years later, she’s a lead creator (with her partner) of a comedy about LA residents managing benefits of internet fame (such as socializing at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your associate being accused of being a intoxicated thief, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” pariah). It would be simple to make a show about digital influence that was horribly glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at its subjects. The series steers clear of each, making for a depiction of privileged young adult life that’s candid about the grot and the appeal.

Balanced Perspective

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

Donald Jimenez
Donald Jimenez

Eleanor is a seasoned journalist and analyst covering UK business, culture, and lifestyle with over a decade of experience.