The performer enters the video call and at once launches into an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, sounding genuinely remorseful. Although she's only a bit late, she wants to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Thankfully, for a writer, this is just what one hopes to encounter. Besides, it’s quite expected. Anyone familiar with her boldly queer and unapologetically crass project titled Bottoms—which she co-wrote with Emma Seligman and appeared in together with her friend The Bear’s standout—can be aware that Sennott has plenty to discuss, ranging from on identity, sex, or the pros of creating a teen brawl society. And, after watching her new eight-part show I Love LA, viewers realize that the star holds further perspectives on the darker side of young adulthood (Now in her thirties, she is an honorary member of the gang, straddling eras skilled for straddling different age groups).
Influences and Storytelling Approach
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show can’t be avoided and Sennott is an admirer, referencing it in addition to the classic series, Insecure and Donald Glover’s series as inspirations for the project, which follows the struggles of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend and aspiring representative portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the biggest presence on creative vision belonged to Entourage, the HBO sitcom depicting an emerging A-list actor succeeding in an often-seedy Hollywood (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott started watching it during lockdown, became “hooked”, and resolved to create a new version on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she explains. The concept for I Love LA originated—partly—from firsthand, initially difficult, relocation to Los Angeles and from the saturn return, a much-talked-about phenomenon for astrology heads. It was an era that involved her grasp major life lessons, professionally 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 resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Early Beginnings
Raised in Connecticut, the star commenced creating and acting comedy while pursuing acting at a prestigious arts school. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she states. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
She seized control, performing at live shows with Ayo and sharing hysterical (and very) weird skits digitally. One, titled Baby Cult, depicted several females fetishistically drawn to pregnancy; another portrayed being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being caught in a thriller. Interestingly, she connected with Seligman through NYU’s movie community and ended up starring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a religious event with shades of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her path, she says, has been peers giving her a shot, as opposed to established gatekeepers. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Definitely not them”, she repeats, stating humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Rising Success
Anyone who were skeptical about her previously will likely be feeling foolish now. Through she calls a “astonishingly complete” development, she appears to created her dream vehicle. Previously she shared content titled “it’s LA” on social media, in which she mocked film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Years later, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a series about city dwellers juggling benefits of internet fame (such as celebrating at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your client being accused of being a substance-abusing stealer, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” pariah). One might easy to create a series about internet celebrity that was overly aspirational—or, worse, one that mocked at the characters. This show does neither, resulting in a depiction of advantaged twentysomething life that’s honest about the mess and the glamour.
Empathetic Approach
“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
