The performer appears on the video call and immediately starts an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, seeming really remorseful. Although she's only slightly late, she wants to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Fortunately, in this context, that’s precisely what is ideal to experience. Moreover, it’s pretty unsurprising. Viewers who know the unapologetically openly gay and unapologetically crass project titled Bottoms—that Sennott penned with Emma Seligman and featured in together with close companion the talented actress—can already know that Sennott possesses much to share, be it about gender, relationships, or the merits of starting a teen fight club. And, by the end her new seasonal show titled I Love LA, it is clear that the star holds additional insights regarding the challenges of Gen Z life (Now in her thirties, Sennott represents an honorary member for this generation, a tale-end millennial skilled for bridging both generations).
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s Girls can’t be avoided and the actress admits to being a fan, naming the show alongside the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and Donald Glover’s series as influences for her series, which details the struggles of a social media star Tallulah and ally who is also aspiring talent manager portrayed by Sennott. However, the biggest spot on the moodboard belonged to the HBO series, the HBO sitcom depicting an emerging Hollywood star navigating in a corrupt Hollywood (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She discovered it throughout lockdown, became “captivated”, and resolved to add a fresh perspective on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she notes. The idea for I Love LA emerged—to some extent—from firsthand, at first rocky, move to Los Angeles and from the astrological phase, a much-talked-about event for followers. This represented an era that involved her grasp significant truths, professionally and personally. “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. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Growing up in Connecticut, the star commenced developing and showcasing stand-up while pursuing 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. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
She decided to act independently, performing at open mics with Edebiri and uploading uproarious (and decidedly) unconventional online content online. A particular video, Baby Cult, depicted a group of women intensely fixated on pregnancy; another envisioned being employed at the brand Hollister as similar to being caught in a thriller. Interestingly, she met Seligman through the university’s film scene and eventually appearing in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful film set at a funeral gathering with hints of the intense thriller. The big theme of her career, she explains, has been peers supporting her, rather than established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, stating amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”
Those who were skeptical about her then will likely be regretting it now. As part of she describes as a “incredibly circular” turn of events, she seems to have created her dream vehicle. A few years back she shared a clip named about Los Angeles online, in which she mocked film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a show about LA residents juggling the perks of internet fame (such as socializing at a famous actor’s house) with downsides (your associate being labeled as being a intoxicated stealer, and potentially becoming a risky persona non grata). It would be easy to make a series about digital influence that was extremely glamorous—or, worse, one that mocked at its subjects. This show avoids both, making for a representation of affluent millennial life that’s frank about the chaos and the shine.
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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
A tech journalist with over a decade of experience covering digital innovations and consumer electronics.
