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The performer joins the video call and immediately launches into an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, sounding really remorseful. Despite being only a bit late, she wants to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Fortunately, in this context, that’s exactly what is ideal to encounter. Besides, it’s pretty expected. Those familiar with the unapologetically LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass project Bottoms—which she co-wrote with her creative partner and starred in together with her friend the talented actress—can be aware that Sennott has plenty to say, whether on gender, intimacy, or the pros of creating a youth brawl society. Plus, after watching the latest seasonal show titled I Love LA, it is clear that the star holds further perspectives about the challenges of modern youth (Now in her thirties, she is a relatable figure of the gang, straddling eras skilled for connecting different age groups).

Inspirations and Artistic Direction

Likenesses to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and the actress admits to being enthusiastic, naming the show in addition to the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and Donald Glover’s series as influences for her series, which details the journey of an influencer Tallulah and close companion who is also fledgling talent manager portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the biggest spot on the moodboard was reserved for Entourage, that show depicting an emerging Hollywood star making his way in a gritty Hollywood (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott discovered it throughout the pandemic, became “hooked”, and decided to add a fresh perspective 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 notes. The concept for I Love LA emerged—partly—from personal, initially fractious, transition to Tinseltown and from the cosmic event, a popular phenomenon for enthusiasts. It was a time that included her learn major life lessons, professionally and in private life. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she admits. “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…”

Humble Origins

Brought up in the East Coast, Sennott commenced creating and acting stand-up while studying performance at NYU’s Tisch. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she says. “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?”

Sennott took matters into her own hands, performing at amateur nights with Edebiri and sharing hilarious (and decidedly) weird online content on the internet. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, centered on characters fetishistically drawn to pregnancy; another imagined being employed at the brand Hollister as akin to being stuck in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she met Seligman through campus film circles and ultimately starring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a religious event with shades of the intense thriller. The central motif of her path, she says, has been people her own age supporting her, rather than the industry at large. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, adding amusedly: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”

Rising Success

Individuals who had doubts about Sennott previously will likely be regretting it today. As part of she calls a “astonishingly complete” story, she seems to have created the perfect project. A few years back she posted content named about Los Angeles 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 online celebrity (such as partying at a famous actor’s house) with downsides (your friend being suspected of being a substance-abusing criminal, and possibly becoming a risky outcast). One might tempting to make a series about internet celebrity that was extremely aspirational—or, worse, one that mocked at those depicted. I Love LA avoids both, creating a depiction of privileged young adult living that’s candid about the mess 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 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