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Rachel Sennott joins the online meeting and at once begins an excuse. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, sounding really regretful. She is only slightly behind, she wants to justify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Fortunately, for a writer, that’s precisely what you want to encounter. Moreover, it’s quite expected. Those who know the fearlessly openly gay and unapologetically crass project titled Bottoms—that she collaborated on with her creative partner and appeared in alongside her friend The Bear’s standout—would be aware that Sennott has a lot to share, be it about roles, sex, or the appeal of forming a teen fight club. Furthermore, after watching her recent eight-part HBO series I Love LA, it is clear that she carries further perspectives about the struggles of young adulthood (Now in her thirties, she represents a relatable figure to younger audiences, on the cusp with a knack for bridging different age groups).

Influences and Storytelling Approach

The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and Sennott is an admirer, referencing it together with the classic series, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as inspirations for her series, which tracks the struggles of an influencer Tallulah and her friend and new agent Maia. Perhaps, the largest spot on the moodboard belonged to the HBO series, the HBO sitcom focusing on an up-and-coming celebrity navigating in an often-seedy LA scene (memorable line: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She began viewing it during lockdown, became “captivated”, and chose to create a new version on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.

“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she explains. The concept for this project originated—partly—from personal, at first difficult, relocation to LA and from the astrological phase, a much-talked-about phenomenon for enthusiasts. This represented a phase that saw her grasp some big insights, professionally and individually. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she admits. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”

Humble Origins

Growing up in New England, the star began creating and acting humor while pursuing theatre at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she states. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “None of the university plays cast me either.” And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”

Sennott took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at live shows with Ayo and uploading hilarious (and decidedly) weird online content online. One, Baby Cult, depicted characters fetishistically obsessed with having babies; a different one envisioned being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being caught in a horror film. Interestingly, she encountered Emma through NYU’s movie community and eventually starring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful comedy set at a religious event with shades of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her journey, she notes, has been people her own age supporting her, instead of the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she repeats, adding with a laugh: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”

Manifesting Dreams

Those who were skeptical about Sennott then will certainly be feeling foolish now. In what she describes as a “incredibly circular” story, she seems to have achieved her dream vehicle. Previously she shared a clip named “it’s LA” online, in which she parodied Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s the co-showrunner (with the co-writer) of a comedy about Angelenos juggling advantages of online celebrity (such as partying at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your client being labeled as being a substance-abusing thief, and potentially becoming a unreliable outcast). It would be simple to produce a program about online fame that was overly glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that mocked at those depicted. The series avoids both, creating a depiction of affluent young adult living that’s candid about the grot and the appeal.

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 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