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The performer enters the digital interview and at once begins an excuse. “Apologies for the delay!” she exclaims, seeming genuinely remorseful. Despite being only a couple of minutes behind, she wants to clarify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Fortunately, for a writer, that’s exactly what one hopes to hear. Moreover, it’s pretty expected. Viewers familiar with her unapologetically openly gay and outspoken film Bottoms—that Sennott collaborated on with Emma Seligman and starred in with collaborator Ayo Edebiri—will be aware that she holds a lot to discuss, whether on roles, sex, or the pros of starting a high-school brawl society. Plus, after watching the recent eight-part show I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she holds even more insights regarding the struggles of Gen Z life (As a millennial, she serves as an honorary member of the gang, on the cusp skilled for connecting both generations).

Inspirations and Storytelling Approach

Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and the actress admits to being an admirer, referencing the show together with the HBO hit, Insecure and Atlanta as inspirations for the project, which follows the struggles of online personality Tallulah and ally and aspiring agent Maia. Perhaps, the most significant presence on creative vision went to the popular sitcom, the HBO sitcom focusing on an up-and-coming celebrity navigating in a gritty LA scene (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott began viewing it amid the pandemic, became “obsessed”, and chose to create a new version 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 says. The concept for I Love LA originated—to some extent—from personal, initially difficult, move to LA and from her astrological phase, a frequently discussed occurrence for astrology heads. That period marked an era that saw her learn significant insights, in her career and individually. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she says. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” It was almost like these biblical tests …”

Starting Out

Brought up in New England, the star began developing and showcasing comedy while studying performance at a prestigious arts school. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she explains. “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.”

She decided to act independently, appearing at open mics with Ayo and uploading hysterical (and very) weird comedy videos on the internet. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, depicted a group of women intensely fixated on motherhood; a different one imagined working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being caught in a scary movie. Interestingly, she encountered Emma through campus film circles and ultimately appearing in her first film, Shiva Baby, a tense comedy set at a religious event with shades of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The big theme of her journey, she notes, has been peers giving her a shot, as opposed to traditional networks. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she repeats, stating with a laugh: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”

Career Breakthrough

Those who questioned regarding Sennott previously will likely be feeling foolish now. In what she labels a “wild, full-circle” turn of events, she appears to achieved the perfect project. Previously she shared a video titled “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she lampooned film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s the co-showrunner (with the co-writer) of a show about Angelenos managing benefits of digital stardom (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your associate being suspected of being a drug-addled thief, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). It would be tempting to create a program about digital influence that was overly glamorous—or, more problematic, one that punched down at its subjects. This show does neither, creating a portrait of privileged millennial existence that’s candid about the chaos and the shine.

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 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