The performer enters the online meeting and at once launches into an excuse. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, sounding truly regretful. Although she's only slightly delayed, she feels compelled to justify. “My phone conversations always run long.” I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Thankfully, during an interview, this is exactly what you want to experience. Moreover, it’s pretty predictable. Anyone familiar with her fearlessly LGBTQ+ and brash film Bottoms—which she penned with her creative partner and appeared in with collaborator The Bear’s standout—can be aware that Sennott has plenty to share, whether on identity, intimacy, or the merits of forming a teen combat group. And, after watching the new multi-episode program titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she holds even more insights on the challenges of Gen Z life (At 30, she represents a relatable figure of the gang, a tale-end millennial adept for connecting millennials and Gen Z).
Inspirations and Creative Vision
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls can’t be avoided and the actress is an admirer, citing the show alongside the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as influences for the project, which follows the journey of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and ally and fledgling agent Maia. However, the biggest presence on the moodboard was reserved for the HBO series, that HBO sitcom focusing on an emerging Hollywood star navigating in an often-seedy LA scene (choice quote: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott discovered it amid lockdown, became “obsessed”, and chose to put her own twist on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she says. The concept for I Love LA came—partly—from personal, at first fractious, move to Los Angeles and from the cosmic event, a much-talked-about event for astrology heads. That period marked a phase that saw her grasp some big life lessons, professionally and personally. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” 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 resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Starting Out
Raised in Connecticut, the star began developing and showcasing comedy while studying theatre at NYU’s Tisch. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she states. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “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 her friend and sharing hysterical (and distinctly) bizarre skits on the internet. One, titled Baby Cult, followed several females fetishistically fixated on having babies; another portrayed working at a trendy retail outlet as akin to being stuck in a horror film. In a neat twist of fate, she met Seligman through NYU’s movie community and eventually featuring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful comedy set at a religious event with echoes of Uncut Gems. A recurring idea of her journey, she notes, has been people her own age giving her a shot, rather than traditional networks. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, adding amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Anyone who had doubts regarding Sennott earlier will certainly be feeling foolish currently. In what she describes as a “astonishingly complete” turn of events, she appears to created the perfect project. A few years back she posted content named “it’s LA” on social media, in which she mocked movie previews (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Years later, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about Angelenos managing benefits of internet fame (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with drawbacks (your friend being accused of being a substance-abusing thief, and perhaps becoming a unreliable pariah). It would be tempting to make a show about internet celebrity that was horribly aspirational—or, even less favorable, one that mocked at the characters. I Love LA avoids both, making for a depiction of advantaged young adult life that’s candid about the mess and the glamour.
Balanced Perspective
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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
