The performer enters the video call and at once begins an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, sounding really regretful. Despite being only slightly delayed, she wants to clarify. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Luckily, for a writer, this is just what is ideal to hear. Moreover, it’s quite expected. Anyone who have seen her unapologetically queer and brash project Bottoms—which Sennott collaborated on with Emma Seligman and starred in with close companion the talented actress—can already know that she holds much to say, ranging from on gender, intimacy, or the merits of starting a high-school fight club. Plus, by the end her new multi-episode program I Love LA, it is clear that she has further thoughts on the darker side of Gen Z life (Now in her thirties, she serves as a bridge of the gang, straddling eras skilled for connecting millennials and Gen Z).
Guiding Lights and Artistic Direction
Parallels to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and Sennott admits to being an admirer, naming it alongside the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as guides for her series, which details the struggles of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and ally who is also fledgling talent manager Maia. Notably, the biggest presence on concept belonged to the popular sitcom, that HBO sitcom depicting an emerging Hollywood star succeeding in an often-seedy entertainment industry (notable statement: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She began viewing it during COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and chose to add a fresh perspective on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she says. The inspiration for I Love LA emerged—partly—from personal, originally fractious, transition to LA and from the cosmic event, a popular occurrence for enthusiasts. This represented a phase that included her understand major insights, in her career and individually. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she says. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Starting Out
Growing up in Connecticut, Sennott commenced writing and performing humor while enrolled in theatre at NYU’s Tisch. “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. “None of the university plays cast me either.” And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at amateur nights with her friend and uploading hysterical (and very) weird skits on the internet. One, Baby Cult, followed several females obsessively obsessed with having babies; another imagined working at the brand Hollister as akin to being trapped in a horror film. By chance, she connected with Emma through NYU’s movie community and ultimately starring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful comedy set at a Jewish wake with echoes of the intense thriller. The big theme of her journey, she explains, has been people her own age supporting her, as opposed to traditional networks. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, adding amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”
Manifesting Dreams
Those who had doubts about her previously will certainly be kicking themselves currently. As part of she calls a “astonishingly complete” story, she has achieved her dream vehicle. Previously she posted a video called “it’s LA” online, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about LA residents juggling benefits of digital stardom (such as celebrating at Elijah Wood’s house) with drawbacks (your client being suspected of being a intoxicated stealer, and perhaps becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). It would be simple to create a show about internet celebrity that was horribly idealized—or, worse, one that punched down at those depicted. This show avoids both, creating a depiction of advantaged young adult life that’s honest about the grot and the glamour.
Balanced Perspective
“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” 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
