🔗 Share this article

The star appears on the digital interview and at once begins an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, appearing genuinely apologetic. She is only a couple of minutes behind, she feels compelled to clarify. “My phone conversations always run long.” I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Fortunately, in this context, this is just what one hopes to hear. Moreover, it’s fairly expected. Those who have seen the fearlessly queer and unapologetically crass project Bottoms—which she co-wrote with her creative partner and featured in alongside collaborator The Bear’s standout—would understand that she holds much to discuss, ranging from about roles, sex, or the appeal of forming a high-school fight club. Plus, after watching the recent eight-part show titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star holds additional insights about the challenges of young adulthood (As a millennial, Sennott represents a bridge for this generation, a tale-end millennial with a knack for connecting different age groups).

Inspirations and Creative Vision

Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls are inevitable and Sennott admits to being an admirer, referencing the show together with the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and Donald Glover’s series as guides for I Love LA, which details the journey of an influencer Tallulah and ally who is also new talent manager portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the most significant presence on the moodboard was reserved for the popular sitcom, that program about an up-and-coming A-list actor succeeding in a gritty entertainment industry (notable statement: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott started watching it during lockdown, became “hooked”, and resolved to add a fresh perspective on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.

“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she explains. The inspiration for I Love LA originated—to some extent—from her own, at first difficult, relocation to Los Angeles and from the saturn return, a frequently discussed event for astrology heads. This represented an era that saw her grasp some big life lessons, professionally and individually. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she recalls. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” It was almost like these biblical tests …”

Starting Out

Raised in the East Coast, Sennott began developing and showcasing stand-up while enrolled in acting at a prestigious arts school. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she explains. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”

She decided to act independently, performing at open mics with Ayo and sharing uproarious (and decidedly) bizarre online content digitally. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, depicted characters intensely obsessed with motherhood; another envisioned being employed at the brand Hollister as similar to being stuck in a scary movie. Interestingly, she encountered Seligman through the university’s film scene and ended up appearing in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a stressful film set at a religious event with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The big theme of her path, she says, has been people her own age giving her a shot, instead of the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, continuing with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”

Manifesting Dreams

Anyone who were skeptical regarding her previously will likely be feeling foolish today. In what she calls a “wild, full-circle” turn of events, she has achieved an ideal role. Previously she shared a clip named about Los Angeles on social media, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with Emma Barrie) of a show about LA residents juggling advantages of internet fame (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with drawbacks (your friend being labeled as being a drug-addled thief, and potentially becoming a unreliable outcast). One might simple to make a program about digital influence that was extremely idealized—or, more problematic, one that belittled at its subjects. I Love LA avoids both, making for a portrait of advantaged millennial existence that’s frank about the chaos and the appeal.

Balanced Perspective

“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” 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