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The star joins the digital interview and immediately launches into an explanation. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, appearing truly regretful. She is only a bit late, she wants to clarify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Thankfully, for a writer, that’s exactly what one hopes to hear. Besides, it’s pretty expected. Anyone who have seen her fearlessly queer and brash project titled Bottoms—which Sennott collaborated on with the director and appeared in with collaborator The Bear’s standout—would already know that Sennott has a lot to say, ranging from about gender, relationships, or the merits of forming a teen combat group. Furthermore, once you finish the latest multi-episode program I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star has additional thoughts about the struggles of modern youth (At 30, Sennott represents an honorary member to younger audiences, on the cusp adept for bridging millennials and Gen Z).

Influences and Artistic Direction

Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and the actress admits to being enthusiastic, referencing the show alongside Sex and the City, Insecure and Atlanta as guides for her series, which follows the journey of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and ally who is also fledgling agent Maia. Perhaps, the largest influence on creative vision went to Entourage, the show about a rising celebrity navigating in a corrupt entertainment industry (choice quote: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott began viewing it amid the pandemic, became “obsessed”, and decided to put her own twist on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.

“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she says. The concept for I Love LA originated—in part—from her own, at first fractious, relocation to Tinseltown and from her cosmic event, a much-talked-about occurrence for enthusiasts. It was an era that saw her learn some big life lessons, in her career and individually. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she admits. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” It was almost like these biblical tests …”

Starting Out

Brought up in New England, Sennott commenced developing and showcasing humor while pursuing performance at a prestigious arts school. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she explains. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “None of the university plays cast me either.” “I wondered why I was even there at all.”

Sennott took matters into her own hands, appearing at open mics with her friend and uploading hilarious (and very) weird comedy videos on the internet. A particular video, Baby Cult, centered on several females intensely drawn to having babies; another imagined being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being caught in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she connected with Seligman through campus film circles and ultimately starring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a Jewish wake with shades of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her career, she explains, has been people her own age supporting her, instead of traditional networks. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, stating humorously: “They don’t want us to win.”

Career Breakthrough

Those who questioned about her earlier will certainly be regretting it currently. In what she calls a “incredibly circular” story, she seems to have created an ideal role. A few years back she posted content named on LA life on social media, in which she parodied Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a show about Angelenos juggling the perks of internet fame (such as socializing at a famous actor’s house) with drawbacks (your friend being accused of being a substance-abusing stealer, and potentially becoming a risky outcast). It would be simple to produce a series about online fame that was horribly aspirational—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at those depicted. I Love LA does neither, creating a portrait of affluent young adult life that’s frank about the chaos and the glamour.

Empathetic Approach

“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