The performer appears on the digital interview and immediately begins an excuse. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, seeming really apologetic. She is only a couple of minutes delayed, she wants to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Luckily, for a writer, that’s precisely what one hopes to hear. Additionally, it’s pretty predictable. Anyone who know her fearlessly LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass film Bottoms—that Sennott co-wrote with the director and starred in together with collaborator The Bear’s standout—would be aware that Sennott holds a lot to say, be it on gender, relationships, or the pros of creating a youth fight club. Furthermore, once you finish her new eight-part program I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she carries further thoughts regarding the darker side of Gen Z life (At 30, she represents a relatable figure for this generation, on the cusp with a knack for connecting both generations).
Influences and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and the actress admits to being a fan, naming it alongside Sex and the City, Insecure and the innovative program as influences for I Love LA, which follows the struggles of a social media star Tallulah and close companion who is also fledgling talent manager Maia. However, the largest presence on concept was reserved for the HBO series, that show about a rising celebrity succeeding in a gritty LA scene (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott started watching it during COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and decided to add a fresh perspective on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she says. The inspiration for this project emerged—to some extent—from personal, initially fractious, move to LA and from the saturn return, a popular event for followers. It was an era that saw her learn major life lessons, work-wise and personally. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she admits. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Early Beginnings
Brought up in the East Coast, Sennott began developing and showcasing humor while enrolled in acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she says. “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. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
She decided to act independently, performing at amateur nights with Edebiri and sharing hilarious (and decidedly) weird comedy videos online. A particular video, Baby Cult, centered on characters intensely fixated on pregnancy; another portrayed working at a trendy retail outlet as akin to being stuck in a scary movie. By chance, she connected with Seligman through the university’s film scene and ultimately starring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, a tense comedy set at a religious event with shades of the intense thriller. The central motif of her path, she says, has been contemporaries offering opportunities, as opposed to the industry at large. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “They were not involved”, she confirms, stating with a laugh: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Manifesting Dreams
Individuals who questioned regarding her earlier will certainly be regretting it currently. Through she labels a “astonishingly complete” turn of events, she has created her dream vehicle. A few years back she uploaded content called about Los Angeles on social media, in which she lampooned film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s a lead creator (with her partner) of a show about Angelenos juggling benefits of digital stardom (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your friend being suspected of being a intoxicated criminal, and perhaps becoming a unreliable outcast). Some could tempting to create a show 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 representation of affluent twentysomething living that’s frank about the chaos and the glamour.
Balanced Perspective
“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
