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The performer appears on the video call and at once launches into an apology. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, seeming genuinely apologetic. Although she's only a couple of minutes late, she feels compelled to clarify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Thankfully, for a writer, this is exactly what one hopes to encounter. Besides, it’s quite predictable. Viewers who have seen her boldly LGBTQ+ and brash project titled Bottoms—which she co-wrote with the director and appeared in together with close companion Ayo Edebiri—can understand that she holds much to share, be it about gender, sex, or the merits of forming a high-school fight club. And, by the end her latest multi-episode program titled I Love LA, it is clear that the star carries additional thoughts on the struggles of young adulthood (At 30, Sennott serves as a relatable figure for this generation, on the cusp skilled for straddling both generations).

Inspirations and Storytelling Approach

Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and Sennott admits to being enthusiastic, naming the show in addition to the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as inspirations for her series, which tracks the journey of a social media star Tallulah and close companion who is also new agent portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the biggest presence on creative vision went to the HBO series, that program focusing on a rising A-list actor succeeding in an often-seedy entertainment industry (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott began viewing it during lockdown, became “hooked”, and decided to add a fresh perspective on it “for the girls and the gays”.

“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she explains. The idea for this project came—in part—from firsthand, at first fractious, relocation to Los Angeles and from the astrological phase, a popular event for followers. That period marked a time that involved her grasp significant life lessons, professionally and individually. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she says. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. It was almost like these biblical tests …”

Humble Origins

Raised in New England, the star began creating and acting stand-up while enrolled in theatre at NYU’s Tisch. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she states. “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?”

She seized control, appearing at amateur nights with Edebiri and sharing hilarious (and very) unconventional comedy videos on the internet. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, centered on a group of women obsessively drawn to motherhood; another imagined being employed at the brand Hollister as akin to being stuck in a horror film. Interestingly, she encountered Seligman through the university’s film scene and ended up appearing in her first film, Shiva Baby, a tense comedy set at a religious event with shades of Uncut Gems. A recurring idea of her career, she explains, has been peers supporting her, instead of established gatekeepers. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “They were not involved”, she confirms, adding amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”

Rising Success

Anyone who had doubts regarding Sennott previously will certainly be regretting it today. In what she calls a “incredibly circular” story, she seems to have achieved her dream vehicle. In 2019 she shared a clip called “it’s LA” on social media, in which she parodied film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a show about city dwellers juggling advantages of internet fame (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your associate being suspected of being a drug-addled thief, and perhaps becoming a risky pariah). One might tempting to create a show about internet celebrity that was overly idealized—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at those depicted. I Love LA steers clear of each, creating a depiction of privileged millennial living that’s frank 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 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