The star appears on the video call and at once begins an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, seeming really remorseful. She is only a couple of minutes behind, she wants to clarify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Luckily, in this context, that’s just what you want to experience. Besides, it’s quite unsurprising. Viewers who have seen her fearlessly openly gay and brash film titled Bottoms—which she collaborated on with her creative partner and featured in with collaborator the talented actress—would already know that she holds plenty to share, whether on gender, relationships, or the appeal of creating a high-school fight club. And, after watching the recent seasonal show titled I Love LA, viewers realize that she carries further perspectives regarding the darker side of Gen Z life (As a millennial, she is a relatable figure for this generation, straddling eras with a knack for bridging different age groups).
Guiding Lights and Storytelling Approach
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show can’t be avoided and Sennott admits to being enthusiastic, citing the show alongside the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and the innovative program as guides for her series, which follows the travails of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend who is also aspiring representative portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the largest influence on creative vision belonged to Entourage, that program depicting an emerging A-list actor navigating in an often-seedy LA scene (memorable line: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She discovered it during COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and chose 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 explains. The inspiration for I Love LA came—to some extent—from personal, at first rocky, relocation to LA and from her cosmic event, a much-talked-about occurrence for astrology heads. It was a time that saw her understand some big truths, in her career 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 …”
Early Beginnings
Growing up in Connecticut, Sennott commenced writing and performing humor while pursuing performance at NYU’s Tisch. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she states. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “None of the university plays cast me either.” “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
Sennott decided to act independently, appearing at open mics with Ayo and posting hilarious (and decidedly) unconventional online content online. A particular video, Baby Cult, followed a group of women intensely obsessed with having babies; another imagined being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being trapped in a scary movie. Interestingly, she connected with Emma through the university’s film scene and ultimately featuring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, a tense film set at a funeral gathering with shades of Uncut Gems. A recurring idea of her path, she notes, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, instead of the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she repeats, stating humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Those who had doubts regarding her previously will surely be feeling foolish currently. In what she labels a “astonishingly complete” development, she has achieved the perfect project. In 2019 she uploaded content named “it’s LA” on social media, in which she mocked movie previews (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a series about Angelenos juggling advantages of online celebrity (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with drawbacks (your client being accused of being a substance-abusing thief, and perhaps becoming a risky pariah). One might tempting to create a show about online fame that was horribly glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that mocked at those depicted. I Love LA steers clear of each, making for a portrait of affluent twentysomething 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
