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The performer enters the online meeting and at once starts an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she exclaims, seeming really remorseful. Although she's only a couple of minutes late, she needs to explain. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Fortunately, for a writer, that’s just what is ideal to hear. Moreover, it’s quite expected. Anyone familiar with the boldly LGBTQ+ and brash project Bottoms—that Sennott collaborated on with her creative partner and appeared in alongside close companion the talented actress—will understand that Sennott has much to discuss, ranging from on roles, sex, or the appeal of forming a teen combat group. And, after watching the latest eight-part HBO series I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star holds even more perspectives on the challenges of Gen Z life (As a millennial, Sennott represents an honorary member for this generation, a tale-end millennial with a knack for bridging different age groups).

Inspirations and Storytelling Approach

Parallels to the iconic series Girls can’t be avoided and the actress is a fan, referencing it together with the classic series, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as influences for her series, which details the journey of an influencer Tallulah and close companion and aspiring representative portrayed by Sennott. However, the biggest presence on concept went to the HBO series, that program focusing on an emerging Hollywood star succeeding in a corrupt LA scene (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott started watching it throughout lockdown, became “hooked”, and decided to add a fresh perspective on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.

“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she explains. The inspiration for I Love LA emerged—to some extent—from personal, initially difficult, relocation to LA and from her saturn return, a much-talked-about event for enthusiasts. That period marked a time that involved her learn some big life lessons, professionally and individually. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” 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 …”

Humble Origins

Brought up in New England, Sennott started writing and performing comedy while enrolled in acting at a prestigious arts school. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she explains. “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. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”

Sennott took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at open mics with Edebiri and posting hilarious (and distinctly) bizarre skits on the internet. One, Baby Cult, centered on a group of women fetishistically fixated on pregnancy; a different one imagined working at a trendy retail outlet as like being caught in a horror film. Interestingly, she encountered Emma through the university’s film scene and eventually appearing in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a Jewish wake with hints of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her path, she explains, has been contemporaries supporting her, rather than the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, continuing with a laugh: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”

Rising Success

Anyone who questioned regarding Sennott previously will surely be feeling foolish now. In what she describes as a “incredibly circular” development, she appears to manifested the perfect project. Previously she uploaded content titled “it’s LA” on social media, in which she parodied Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a show about LA residents balancing the perks of online celebrity (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your client being labeled as being a substance-abusing stealer, and perhaps becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). One might simple to create a show about internet celebrity that was horribly idealized—or, more problematic, one that punched down at its subjects. I Love LA does neither, creating a representation of privileged twentysomething existence that’s frank about the grot and the shine.

Empathetic Approach

“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