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The performer appears on the online meeting and at once begins an excuse. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she states, sounding really regretful. She is only a bit late, she needs to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Luckily, in this context, this is exactly what one hopes to experience. Additionally, it’s fairly predictable. Anyone who have seen her fearlessly openly gay and outspoken project titled Bottoms—that she penned with Emma Seligman and featured in with her friend the talented actress—will already know that she holds plenty to discuss, be it about roles, intimacy, or the appeal of creating a teen combat group. Plus, after watching her new eight-part show titled I Love LA, it is clear that the star carries even more thoughts about the darker side of modern youth (Now in her thirties, she is an honorary member to younger audiences, straddling eras adept for connecting both generations).

Inspirations and Artistic Direction

Likenesses to the iconic series Girls can’t be avoided and the actress admits to being enthusiastic, citing it together with Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and Donald Glover’s series as inspirations for the project, which details the journey of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend and fledgling representative Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the biggest influence on creative vision belonged to the popular sitcom, that show focusing on an emerging celebrity succeeding in an often-seedy entertainment industry (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She began viewing it during lockdown, became “obsessed”, and chose to put her own twist 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 notes. The concept for this project came—in part—from her own, at first rocky, relocation to Tinseltown and from her astrological phase, a frequently discussed phenomenon for followers. It was an era that saw her learn significant life lessons, work-wise and personally. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she says. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”

Humble Origins

Brought up in Connecticut, Sennott started developing and showcasing comedy while pursuing performance at NYU’s Tisch. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she says. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “None of the university plays cast me either.” And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”

Sennott decided to act independently, appearing at open mics with her friend and posting hilarious (and distinctly) bizarre skits online. A particular video, Baby Cult, followed several females obsessively obsessed with having babies; another imagined working at a trendy retail outlet as like being trapped in a thriller. By chance, she met Seligman through the university’s film scene and ultimately featuring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a Jewish wake with echoes of the intense thriller. The big theme of her path, she says, has been people her own age supporting her, as opposed to the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she repeats, continuing with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”

Rising Success

Individuals who were skeptical about Sennott then will likely be feeling foolish today. As part of she calls a “incredibly circular” development, she seems to have achieved her dream vehicle. In 2019 she posted content called “it’s LA” on social media, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a series about LA residents balancing the perks of digital stardom (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your friend being accused of being a intoxicated stealer, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). Some could tempting to produce a program about online fame that was extremely glamorous—or, more problematic, one that belittled at those depicted. The series steers clear of each, making for a representation of affluent twentysomething living that’s honest about the chaos and the shine.

Nuanced Portrayal

“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