The performer joins the video call and right away begins an excuse. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, appearing genuinely remorseful. Despite being only a couple of minutes behind, she wants to clarify. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, during an interview, this is exactly what one hopes to hear. Moreover, it’s quite unsurprising. Anyone familiar with her boldly openly gay and outspoken project Bottoms—which Sennott penned with her creative partner and featured in alongside her friend the talented actress—would be aware that she has plenty to discuss, ranging from about gender, relationships, or the merits of forming a teen brawl society. And, once you finish her new multi-episode show titled I Love LA, viewers realize that she holds additional insights about the challenges of modern youth (As a millennial, she represents a bridge for this generation, straddling eras adept for bridging millennials and Gen Z).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and the actress admits to being enthusiastic, citing the show alongside the classic series, the acclaimed comedy and Donald Glover’s series as influences for the project, which tracks the journey of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion who is also new talent manager portrayed by Sennott. However, the largest spot on concept belonged to the popular sitcom, that program depicting a rising A-list actor making his way in a corrupt LA scene (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott started watching it throughout the pandemic, became “obsessed”, and decided 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 says. The idea for I Love LA came—in part—from her own, at first fractious, move to LA and from the saturn return, a popular occurrence for followers. It was an era that saw her understand major life lessons, work-wise and individually. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she recalls. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Humble Origins
Brought up in Connecticut, Sennott started developing and showcasing humor while studying theatre at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she says. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “None of the university plays cast me either.” “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
Sennott decided to act independently, taking the stage at live shows with Edebiri and uploading hysterical (and decidedly) unconventional comedy videos digitally. One, titled Baby Cult, depicted several females fetishistically fixated on having babies; another imagined working at the brand Hollister as like being stuck in a scary movie. Interestingly, she encountered Emma through NYU’s movie community and ultimately featuring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a Jewish wake with shades of the intense thriller. The big theme of her path, she explains, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, as opposed to traditional networks. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she repeats, continuing amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Those who were skeptical regarding Sennott earlier will likely be feeling foolish currently. In what she calls a “astonishingly complete” development, she seems to have created the perfect project. Previously she posted content titled about Los Angeles online, in which she parodied Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s the co-showrunner (with her partner) of a series about city dwellers juggling advantages of online celebrity (such as socializing at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being accused of being a intoxicated stealer, and potentially becoming a risky pariah). It would be simple to make a show about digital influence that was horribly aspirational—or, even less favorable, one that mocked at its subjects. The series avoids both, making for a depiction of privileged young adult living that’s candid about the chaos and the appeal.
Nuanced Portrayal
“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
