The star joins the video call and right away launches into an explanation. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, sounding truly apologetic. Despite being only slightly delayed, she feels compelled to justify. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Fortunately, for a writer, that’s precisely what you want to encounter. Moreover, it’s fairly unsurprising. Those who have seen her fearlessly openly gay and unapologetically crass movie titled Bottoms—that Sennott collaborated on with her creative partner and appeared in together with close companion The Bear’s standout—would already know that she has much to discuss, be it about gender, sex, or the pros of creating a teen brawl society. Plus, once you finish the latest eight-part program titled I Love LA, it is clear that the star has even more insights regarding the struggles of young adulthood (Now in her thirties, she represents a bridge of the gang, a tale-end millennial with a knack for straddling different age groups).
Influences and Storytelling Approach
Likenesses to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and Sennott admits to being enthusiastic, citing it alongside Sex and the City, Insecure and Atlanta as inspirations for I Love LA, which follows the struggles of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and ally who is also aspiring representative Maia. However, the largest influence on the moodboard was reserved for the HBO series, that HBO sitcom about an up-and-coming celebrity succeeding in a corrupt LA scene (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She discovered it throughout the pandemic, became “obsessed”, and resolved to create a new version on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she notes. The idea for I Love LA came—to some extent—from firsthand, initially difficult, transition to Los Angeles and from her cosmic event, a popular occurrence for followers. That period marked an era that saw her learn some big insights, in her career and individually. “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. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Humble Origins
Raised in New England, the star commenced developing and showcasing humor while pursuing performance at a prestigious arts school. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” 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. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She took matters into her own hands, appearing at open mics with her friend and uploading hilarious (and decidedly) unconventional skits online. One, titled Baby Cult, depicted characters obsessively obsessed with having babies; another portrayed working at a trendy retail outlet as like being caught in a horror film. In a neat twist of fate, she encountered Emma through the university’s film scene and eventually starring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful comedy set at a religious event with echoes of the intense thriller. The big theme of her path, she notes, has been people her own age supporting her, rather than established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, stating humorously: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Manifesting Dreams
Individuals who had doubts about her then will surely be kicking themselves currently. Through she labels a “incredibly circular” turn of events, she seems to have manifested an ideal role. A few years back she uploaded a clip named “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she lampooned movie previews (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a show about LA residents balancing benefits of online celebrity (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your friend being suspected of being a substance-abusing thief, and perhaps becoming a “brand unsafe” pariah). It would be tempting to create a show about digital influence that was horribly glamorous—or, worse, one that belittled at the characters. The series steers clear of each, creating a portrait of affluent twentysomething living that’s frank about the chaos and the appeal.
Nuanced Portrayal
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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
