The performer joins the video call and at once starts an excuse. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, sounding truly apologetic. Despite being only slightly behind, she wants to clarify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Thankfully, in this context, this is precisely what is ideal to encounter. Besides, it’s pretty expected. Those who know the boldly openly gay and unapologetically crass project Bottoms—that she penned with Emma Seligman and featured in with close companion Ayo Edebiri—would be aware that she holds much to say, be it about identity, intimacy, or the appeal of creating a high-school brawl society. Plus, after watching her latest eight-part show I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star carries further insights regarding the struggles of modern youth (As a millennial, Sennott serves as a bridge for this generation, straddling eras with a knack for straddling millennials and Gen Z).
Inspirations and Storytelling Approach
Likenesses to the iconic series Girls can’t be avoided and Sennott is an admirer, citing it in addition to the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as inspirations for I Love LA, which follows the journey of an influencer Tallulah and ally who is also fledgling representative Maia. However, the largest presence on the moodboard went to the HBO series, the show focusing on an up-and-coming A-list actor succeeding in an often-seedy Hollywood (memorable line: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott started watching it amid lockdown, became “obsessed”, and resolved to add a fresh perspective on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she notes. The concept for I Love LA originated—in part—from personal, at first fractious, transition to Tinseltown and from the cosmic event, a frequently discussed event for enthusiasts. This represented a phase that saw her understand major truths, professionally and in private life. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she says. “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 the East Coast, Sennott commenced creating and acting comedy while studying performance at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she explains. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, appearing at live shows with Ayo and sharing hilarious (and distinctly) unconventional skits online. One, titled Baby Cult, depicted several females fetishistically obsessed with motherhood; another portrayed being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being stuck in a horror film. In a neat twist of fate, she encountered Seligman through NYU’s movie community and eventually featuring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a Jewish wake with hints of the Safdie brothers’ movie. A recurring idea of her journey, she notes, has been peers giving her a shot, as opposed to established gatekeepers. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “They were not involved”, she confirms, stating with a laugh: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Manifesting Dreams
Anyone who questioned about Sennott earlier will certainly be kicking themselves today. Through she describes as a “astonishingly complete” story, she seems to have manifested an ideal role. Previously she shared content named “it’s LA” on social media, in which she parodied Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Years later, she’s the co-showrunner (with the co-writer) of a comedy about city dwellers balancing advantages of internet fame (such as socializing at a famous actor’s house) with downsides (your client being labeled as being a substance-abusing thief, and potentially becoming a unreliable persona non grata). It would be simple to produce a show about internet celebrity that was overly glamorous—or, worse, one that mocked at the characters. I Love LA does neither, making for a representation of affluent young adult existence that’s candid about the mess and the appeal.
Nuanced Portrayal
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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
