The star enters the digital interview and right away launches into an excuse. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, seeming truly regretful. Despite being only a couple of minutes late, she feels compelled to justify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Fortunately, for a writer, this is exactly what is ideal to encounter. Besides, it’s quite unsurprising. Anyone who know the unapologetically queer and outspoken movie titled Bottoms—that Sennott penned with Emma Seligman and starred in with close companion The Bear’s standout—will be aware that she has much to say, be it on roles, intimacy, or the merits of creating a youth brawl society. And, by the end the new seasonal show titled I Love LA, it is clear that the star has even more thoughts regarding the struggles of modern youth (Now in her thirties, Sennott is a relatable figure for this generation, a tale-end millennial adept for bridging both generations).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
Parallels to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and the actress readily acknowledges enthusiastic, citing the show together with the HBO hit, Insecure and Atlanta as influences for I Love LA, which follows the struggles of an influencer Tallulah and close companion and fledgling representative Maia. Perhaps, the biggest influence on creative vision was reserved for Entourage, the show about a rising Hollywood star navigating in an often-seedy LA scene (memorable line: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott discovered it throughout lockdown, became “hooked”, and resolved to put her own twist on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she notes. The inspiration for the series originated—to some extent—from firsthand, initially difficult, relocation to Tinseltown and from the astrological phase, a popular occurrence for enthusiasts. It was an era that involved her learn major life lessons, work-wise 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
Raised in the East Coast, Sennott commenced creating and acting comedy while enrolled in theatre at a prestigious arts school. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she says. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
Sennott seized control, performing at amateur nights with Ayo and sharing hysterical (and distinctly) weird skits digitally. One, titled Baby Cult, followed a group of women obsessively fixated on pregnancy; another imagined working at the brand Hollister as like being caught in a thriller. In a neat twist of fate, she encountered Seligman through NYU’s movie community and eventually featuring in her initial project, Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a religious event with hints of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her journey, she notes, has been people her own age supporting her, instead of traditional networks. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “They were not involved”, she confirms, continuing humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Anyone who had doubts about Sennott earlier will certainly be feeling foolish today. In what she labels a “wild, full-circle” development, she has created her dream vehicle. Previously she shared a clip titled on LA life on the internet, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with Emma Barrie) of a series about Angelenos juggling benefits of internet fame (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with downsides (your friend being suspected of being a intoxicated thief, and possibly becoming a unreliable pariah). One might tempting to create a show about online fame that was extremely aspirational—or, more problematic, one that punched down at the characters. I Love LA does neither, creating a depiction of affluent millennial existence that’s frank about the grot and the appeal.
Nuanced Portrayal
“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
