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The star appears on the video call and at once starts an explanation. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, appearing genuinely remorseful. Although she's only a couple of minutes behind, she wants to justify. “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, this is precisely what is ideal to hear. Besides, it’s fairly unsurprising. Anyone who have seen her boldly openly gay and brash film Bottoms—that Sennott penned with the director and starred in together with collaborator Ayo Edebiri—will be aware that Sennott holds a lot to share, be it about identity, intimacy, or the merits of forming a teen brawl society. Furthermore, by the end her new eight-part HBO series titled I Love LA, it is clear that she holds even more insights on the struggles of young adulthood (Now in her thirties, she represents a relatable figure for this generation, on the cusp with a knack for connecting both generations).

Inspirations and Artistic Direction

Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls can’t be avoided and the actress readily acknowledges an admirer, naming it together with the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and the innovative program as inspirations for the project, which tracks the journey of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend and aspiring agent Maia. Perhaps, the largest presence on the moodboard belonged to the HBO series, the program depicting a rising A-list actor making his way in an often-seedy entertainment industry (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott started watching it during lockdown, became “obsessed”, 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 explains. The concept for this project came—to some extent—from her own, originally difficult, transition to Los Angeles and from her astrological phase, a frequently discussed phenomenon for enthusiasts. It was a phase that included her grasp major truths, work-wise and personally. “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

Growing up in New England, the star started writing and performing stand-up while enrolled in performance at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” 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. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”

Sennott decided to act independently, taking the stage at amateur nights with her friend and sharing hysterical (and very) unconventional comedy videos online. A particular video, Baby Cult, followed characters fetishistically fixated on having babies; another envisioned working at a trendy retail outlet as akin to being caught in a thriller. In a neat twist of fate, she met Emma through NYU’s movie community and ultimately starring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a funeral gathering with hints of the intense thriller. The big theme of her career, she explains, has been people her own age offering opportunities, rather than established gatekeepers. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Definitely not them”, she emphasizes, continuing with a laugh: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”

Manifesting Dreams

Anyone who were skeptical about her previously will certainly be regretting it today. As part of she calls a “wild, full-circle” development, she appears to achieved the perfect project. In 2019 she posted a video called “it’s LA” online, in which she mocked film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with the co-writer) of a series about LA residents juggling the perks of internet fame (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your client being labeled as being a drug-addled stealer, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). It would be simple to create a series about digital influence that was overly idealized—or, more problematic, one that mocked at its subjects. The series avoids both, creating a portrait of advantaged millennial living that’s honest about the chaos and the appeal.

Nuanced Portrayal

“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” 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