The star appears on the video call and right away begins an explanation. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, appearing truly apologetic. She is only slightly delayed, she feels compelled to justify. “My phone conversations always run long.” I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Fortunately, for a writer, this is precisely what you want to experience. Besides, it’s fairly predictable. Viewers familiar with the unapologetically queer and unapologetically crass film Bottoms—which she co-wrote with her creative partner and featured in with close companion the talented actress—will already know that Sennott holds much to discuss, be it about gender, relationships, or the merits of starting a teen fight club. And, once you finish the new seasonal program I Love LA, viewers realize that the star has even more perspectives about the struggles of modern youth (Now in her thirties, Sennott serves as a relatable figure for this generation, on the cusp skilled for bridging different age groups).
Influences and Artistic Direction
Parallels to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and Sennott is an admirer, referencing it together with Sex and the City, Insecure and Atlanta as inspirations for I Love LA, which follows the struggles of online personality Tallulah and close companion and new representative Sennott’s character. Notably, the biggest presence on the moodboard was reserved for the HBO series, the HBO sitcom depicting an emerging Hollywood star navigating in a corrupt LA scene (memorable line: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott began viewing it amid lockdown, became “obsessed”, and resolved to create a new version 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 says. The inspiration for I Love LA came—in part—from her own, originally difficult, relocation to Tinseltown and from her cosmic event, a popular occurrence for followers. That period marked a phase that saw her understand significant insights, work-wise and personally. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she recalls. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Starting Out
Brought up in New England, Sennott started developing and showcasing humor while studying acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she says. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. 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.”
She took matters into her own hands, appearing at open mics with her friend and sharing hysterical (and distinctly) bizarre online content online. One, titled Baby Cult, depicted characters obsessively obsessed with pregnancy; a different one imagined being employed at a trendy retail outlet as akin to being trapped in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she met Seligman through campus film circles and ultimately featuring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, a tense comedy set at a Jewish wake with shades of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her journey, she says, has been peers giving her a shot, as opposed to traditional networks. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, stating humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Individuals who were skeptical regarding her earlier will surely be regretting it now. In what she calls a “wild, full-circle” story, she seems to have achieved her dream vehicle. In 2019 she posted a clip titled about Los Angeles online, in which she parodied movie previews (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Six years on, she’s the co-showrunner (with her partner) of a comedy about Angelenos balancing benefits of digital stardom (such as celebrating at Elijah Wood’s house) with drawbacks (your associate being suspected of being a drug-addled stealer, and potentially becoming a unreliable persona non grata). Some could easy to produce a series about online fame that was extremely glamorous—or, more problematic, one that mocked at its subjects. The series does neither, creating a depiction of privileged young adult living that’s frank about the grot and the appeal.
Balanced Perspective
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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
