The performer appears on the online meeting and at once launches into an excuse. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she states, seeming genuinely apologetic. She is only slightly delayed, she feels compelled to clarify. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Luckily, for a writer, that’s precisely what one hopes to experience. Besides, it’s fairly expected. Anyone familiar with the unapologetically LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass film Bottoms—that she penned with Emma Seligman and featured in together with collaborator The Bear’s standout—can be aware that she possesses plenty to say, ranging from about identity, relationships, or the pros of forming a youth combat group. And, after watching the latest multi-episode HBO series titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star holds even more insights about the challenges of young adulthood (As a millennial, she represents a relatable figure for this generation, straddling eras adept for connecting different age groups).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s Girls are inevitable and Sennott admits to being an admirer, citing the show in addition to Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as guides for the project, which follows the struggles of an influencer Tallulah and her friend who is also fledgling talent manager portrayed by Sennott. However, the most significant spot on creative vision belonged to the HBO series, the HBO sitcom depicting an emerging celebrity making his way in a gritty entertainment industry (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott started watching it during COVID-19, became “hooked”, and decided to add a fresh perspective 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—in part—from her own, initially difficult, move to Los Angeles and from the astrological phase, a frequently discussed event for astrology heads. That period marked a phase that saw her understand significant truths, in her career and in private life. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she admits. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Early Beginnings
Raised in New England, the star started creating and acting stand-up while pursuing theatre at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she states. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at amateur nights with Ayo and sharing hilarious (and distinctly) weird comedy videos online. One, Baby Cult, followed a group of women intensely obsessed with pregnancy; another portrayed working at the brand Hollister as similar to being trapped in a thriller. In a neat twist of fate, she connected with Seligman through NYU’s movie community and eventually starring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful film set at a religious event with shades of the Safdie brothers’ movie. A recurring idea of her journey, she says, has been contemporaries offering opportunities, rather than the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, continuing amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Rising Success
Individuals who were skeptical regarding Sennott earlier will likely be kicking themselves today. In what she calls a “astonishingly complete” development, she has manifested an ideal role. Previously she posted a video named “it’s LA” on social media, in which she parodied movie previews (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Years later, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a show about city dwellers balancing the perks of digital stardom (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your client being accused of being a drug-addled stealer, and perhaps becoming a risky outcast). One might tempting to make a series about internet celebrity that was overly aspirational—or, worse, one that mocked at those depicted. I Love LA steers clear of each, resulting in a portrait of advantaged millennial living that’s frank about the chaos and the glamour.
Nuanced Portrayal
“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” 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
