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The performer enters the video call and at once launches into an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she exclaims, seeming truly remorseful. Although she's only a couple of minutes delayed, she wants to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Luckily, during an interview, that’s precisely what one hopes to experience. Additionally, it’s fairly expected. Those who have seen the unapologetically LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass film titled Bottoms—which Sennott penned with the director and appeared in alongside her friend the talented actress—can be aware that Sennott has much to discuss, be it about roles, relationships, or the pros of starting a youth combat group. Furthermore, after watching her recent seasonal show I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she holds even more insights regarding the darker side of young adulthood (Now in her thirties, Sennott is an honorary member of the gang, on the cusp with a knack for bridging both generations).

Guiding Lights and Artistic Direction

Likenesses to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and the actress readily acknowledges a fan, referencing the show alongside the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as guides for her series, which follows the travails of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and ally who is also fledgling agent Maia. Perhaps, the most significant spot on creative vision went to the HBO series, the show about an emerging Hollywood star navigating in a corrupt LA scene (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott began viewing it during COVID-19, became “captivated”, and resolved to put her own twist 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 concept for I Love LA originated—partly—from her own, originally difficult, relocation to Tinseltown and from the cosmic event, a frequently discussed phenomenon for enthusiasts. That period marked a phase that saw her learn major truths, in her career and personally. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she admits. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. It was almost like these biblical tests …”

Early Beginnings

Growing up in Connecticut, Sennott started developing and showcasing comedy while enrolled in performance at a prestigious arts school. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” 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, performing at live shows with Edebiri and posting hilarious (and distinctly) unconventional skits digitally. A particular video, Baby Cult, followed a group of women fetishistically fixated on having babies; a different one envisioned being employed at the brand Hollister as akin to being caught in a scary movie. By chance, she encountered Seligman through the university’s film scene and ended up starring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, a tense comedy set at a funeral gathering with echoes of the intense thriller. The big theme of her career, she says, has been people her own age giving her a shot, instead of the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, stating humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”

Career Breakthrough

Anyone who were skeptical regarding her previously will likely be regretting it currently. As part of she labels a “wild, full-circle” development, she seems to have created the perfect project. Previously she shared a video called about Los Angeles online, in which she mocked movie previews (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Years later, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a show about city dwellers balancing the perks of online celebrity (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with drawbacks (your client being labeled as being a intoxicated criminal, and possibly becoming a risky pariah). One might easy to create a program about internet celebrity that was horribly aspirational—or, even less favorable, one that belittled at the characters. I Love LA does neither, making for a depiction of advantaged twentysomething living that’s candid about the mess and the shine.

Empathetic Approach

“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” she says. “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