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Rachel Sennott joins the online meeting and at once begins an apology. “Apologies for the delay!” she says, sounding truly apologetic. She is only slightly behind, she needs to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Luckily, for a writer, that’s just what you want to experience. Besides, it’s quite expected. Anyone familiar with the boldly queer and brash project Bottoms—that Sennott co-wrote with the director and featured in alongside collaborator Ayo Edebiri—will understand that she possesses a lot to say, be it about gender, relationships, or the pros of starting a youth combat group. Plus, after watching her latest seasonal HBO series titled I Love LA, viewers realize that the star has further perspectives about the challenges of Gen Z life (As a millennial, she serves as an honorary member for this generation, a tale-end millennial with a knack for connecting different age groups).

Inspirations and Artistic Direction

Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and Sennott is a fan, referencing it alongside Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and Donald Glover’s series as influences for I Love LA, which follows the struggles of online personality Tallulah and close companion and aspiring agent Maia. However, the largest presence on creative vision went to the popular sitcom, that program focusing on an up-and-coming Hollywood star succeeding in a corrupt LA scene (choice quote: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She started watching it amid the pandemic, became “obsessed”, and resolved to create a new version on it “for the girls and the gays”.

“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she notes. The idea for the series originated—partly—from personal, at first rocky, transition to LA and from the astrological phase, a much-talked-about event for astrology heads. That period marked an era that involved her learn significant truths, work-wise and individually. “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 the East Coast, Sennott started creating and acting comedy while studying acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she states. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”

Sennott decided to act independently, taking the stage at live shows with Ayo and posting hysterical (and distinctly) weird comedy videos digitally. One, titled Baby Cult, centered on a group of women fetishistically fixated on pregnancy; another portrayed being employed at the brand Hollister as similar to being trapped in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she encountered Emma through NYU’s movie community and eventually featuring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a tense comedy set at a religious event with echoes of the intense thriller. The big theme of her journey, she explains, has been people her own age offering opportunities, rather than established gatekeepers. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “They were not involved”, she confirms, continuing humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”

Rising Success

Anyone who were skeptical regarding her previously will certainly be kicking themselves currently. As part of she describes as a “incredibly circular” turn of events, she appears to manifested her dream vehicle. A few years back she uploaded a clip titled about Los Angeles online, in which she parodied film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with her partner) of a show about LA residents managing the perks of digital stardom (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your client being labeled as being a intoxicated criminal, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” pariah). It would be tempting to produce a show about internet celebrity that was extremely idealized—or, more problematic, one that punched down at the characters. This show does neither, creating a portrait of privileged young adult living that’s candid about the chaos and the glamour.

Empathetic Approach

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