The star appears on the video call and right away launches into an apology. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, sounding genuinely regretful. Although she's only a bit behind, she wants to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, for a writer, this is just what you want to experience. Moreover, it’s fairly unsurprising. Anyone who know the unapologetically openly gay and brash film Bottoms—which Sennott collaborated on with her creative partner and featured in together with collaborator the talented actress—would be aware that she possesses a lot to say, be it about gender, relationships, or the pros of forming a youth combat group. And, once you finish her latest multi-episode program I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she carries further insights about the struggles of Gen Z life (At 30, Sennott represents a relatable figure of the gang, straddling eras skilled for straddling both generations).
Influences and Storytelling Approach
Likenesses to the iconic series Girls can’t be avoided and the actress is an admirer, naming it alongside the classic series, Insecure and Atlanta as inspirations for I Love LA, which follows the journey of an influencer Tallulah and ally and new representative Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the largest presence on creative vision went to Entourage, the show depicting an emerging celebrity navigating in a corrupt entertainment industry (memorable line: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott started watching it during lockdown, became “obsessed”, and chose to put her own twist 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 inspiration for I Love LA originated—partly—from her own, initially difficult, move to LA and from the saturn return, a much-talked-about occurrence for followers. That period marked a time that saw her understand some big truths, in her career and in private life. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she recalls. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Humble Origins
Growing up in the East Coast, the star began writing and performing humor while enrolled in performance at a prestigious arts school. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she explains. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “None of the university plays cast me either.” And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at amateur nights with Edebiri and posting hilarious (and very) weird comedy videos digitally. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, centered on characters obsessively obsessed with pregnancy; another imagined working at the brand Hollister as like being caught in a horror film. In a neat twist of fate, she encountered Emma through the university’s film scene and ended up appearing in her first film, Shiva Baby, a stressful comedy set at a Jewish wake with hints of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The big theme of her career, she says, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, instead of established gatekeepers. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Not the gatekeepers”, she repeats, continuing amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”
Manifesting Dreams
Those who had doubts regarding her then will likely be feeling foolish today. Through she calls a “incredibly circular” development, she appears to created her dream vehicle. In 2019 she shared content titled “it’s LA” online, in which she parodied movie previews (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Years later, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a series about Angelenos balancing advantages of internet fame (such as socializing at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being accused of being a drug-addled criminal, and perhaps becoming a risky persona non grata). Some could simple to produce a show about digital influence that was extremely idealized—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at those depicted. The series steers clear of each, creating a depiction of advantaged young adult life that’s frank about the mess and the glamour.
Balanced Perspective
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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
