🔗 Share this article

The performer enters the video call and immediately launches into an explanation. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, sounding genuinely remorseful. Although she's only slightly late, she feels compelled to justify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Luckily, in this context, this is precisely what is ideal to experience. Besides, it’s pretty predictable. Those familiar with her unapologetically LGBTQ+ and outspoken movie Bottoms—that Sennott penned with her creative partner and starred in with close companion The Bear’s standout—can already know that Sennott holds plenty to share, be it about roles, intimacy, or the merits of forming a high-school brawl society. Furthermore, after watching the recent eight-part HBO series titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she holds even more thoughts regarding the struggles of Gen Z life (As a millennial, she represents a relatable figure of the gang, on the cusp adept for connecting different age groups).

Guiding Lights and Creative Vision

Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and the actress admits to being a fan, citing the show in addition to Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and Donald Glover’s series as influences for I Love LA, which tracks the journey of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion and new agent portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the largest influence on the moodboard was reserved for Entourage, the show about an up-and-coming A-list actor making his way in an often-seedy entertainment industry (memorable line: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott discovered it during COVID-19, became “captivated”, and chose to add a fresh perspective on it “for the girls and the gays”.

“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she explains. The idea for I Love LA originated—in part—from her own, initially difficult, relocation to LA and from the saturn return, a popular occurrence for enthusiasts. That period marked a time that saw her learn major insights, work-wise and in private life. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she recalls. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”

Early Beginnings

Raised in Connecticut, the star commenced developing and showcasing stand-up while studying performance at NYU’s Tisch. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she states. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”

Sennott took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at amateur nights with her friend and uploading uproarious (and distinctly) bizarre skits online. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, centered on characters obsessively drawn to having babies; a different one portrayed working at a trendy retail outlet as akin to being caught in a scary movie. Interestingly, she met Emma through NYU’s movie community and ended up featuring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a religious event with shades of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her path, she notes, has been peers giving her a shot, as opposed to traditional networks. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, continuing amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”

Rising Success

Those who were skeptical regarding her earlier will likely be regretting it today. Through she describes as a “incredibly circular” turn of events, she appears to manifested an ideal role. Previously she shared content titled about Los Angeles on social media, in which she lampooned film promos (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about city dwellers managing benefits of digital stardom (such as socializing at a famous actor’s house) with downsides (your friend being suspected of being a intoxicated criminal, and possibly becoming a risky pariah). One might tempting to produce a series about internet celebrity that was horribly glamorous—or, worse, one that punched down at the characters. This show steers clear of each, making for a depiction of affluent young adult existence that’s candid about the chaos and the shine.

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