The actress and writer discussing the hilarious comedy depicting that chaotic allure of Gen Z existence
The star joins the online meeting and right away starts an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she says, sounding genuinely apologetic. She is only a couple of minutes delayed, she wants to justify. “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, this is precisely what one hopes to experience. Besides, it’s fairly unsurprising. Anyone who know her unapologetically openly gay and brash film Bottoms—which Sennott co-wrote with her creative partner and featured in alongside her friend the talented actress—can already know that she holds much to share, whether on roles, sex, or the merits of forming a teen fight club. Furthermore, once you finish the latest seasonal program I Love LA, it is clear that she carries further insights regarding the challenges of young adulthood (At 30, Sennott represents an honorary member to younger audiences, on the cusp skilled for straddling both generations).
Guiding Lights and Creative Vision
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s Girls can’t be avoided and the actress is enthusiastic, referencing it in addition to the HBO hit, Insecure and the innovative program as guides for her series, which details the struggles of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and ally who is also aspiring agent portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the biggest presence on concept was reserved for Entourage, the HBO sitcom depicting an emerging celebrity navigating in an often-seedy LA scene (memorable line: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott discovered it during lockdown, became “hooked”, and chose to put her own twist on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she says. The concept for I Love LA emerged—in part—from her own, initially rocky, transition to Los Angeles and from the astrological phase, a much-talked-about event for astrology heads. This represented an era that involved her grasp some big insights, work-wise and individually. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she admits. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Early Beginnings
Growing up in the East Coast, the star started developing and showcasing comedy while pursuing performance at NYU’s Tisch. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she says. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
She decided to act independently, taking the stage at open mics with Ayo and sharing uproarious (and decidedly) weird skits digitally. One, titled Baby Cult, depicted several females intensely obsessed with pregnancy; another imagined being employed at a trendy retail outlet as like being caught in a thriller. Interestingly, she met Emma through NYU’s movie community and ended up appearing in her initial project, Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a religious event with echoes of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her career, she explains, has been people her own age offering opportunities, rather than established gatekeepers. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “They were not involved”, she confirms, adding humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Anyone who questioned about Sennott then will certainly be kicking themselves today. In what she calls a “wild, full-circle” development, she appears to created the perfect project. In 2019 she posted a clip called about Los Angeles on social media, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a show about LA residents balancing benefits of internet fame (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with drawbacks (your client being suspected of being a substance-abusing stealer, and potentially becoming a unreliable persona non grata). It would be easy to produce a series about digital influence that was horribly aspirational—or, more problematic, one that belittled at those depicted. I Love LA steers clear of each, creating a representation of affluent young adult life that’s frank about the mess and the shine.
Balanced Perspective
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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