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The performer joins the online meeting and immediately begins an excuse. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, sounding genuinely apologetic. Although she's only slightly behind, 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, this is exactly what you want to experience. Besides, it’s pretty unsurprising. Those familiar with the fearlessly openly gay and unapologetically crass project titled Bottoms—that Sennott penned with her creative partner and starred in alongside her friend Ayo Edebiri—would already know that Sennott has a lot to discuss, whether on identity, intimacy, or the merits of forming a teen fight club. And, after watching her recent multi-episode show I Love LA, it is clear that the star holds additional thoughts on the struggles of young adulthood (As a millennial, Sennott serves as a relatable figure for this generation, straddling eras adept for bridging millennials and Gen Z).

Guiding Lights and Artistic Direction

Likenesses to the iconic series Girls can’t be avoided and Sennott is enthusiastic, referencing it together with the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and the innovative program as inspirations for I Love LA, which follows the journey of a social media star Tallulah and close companion and new representative portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the most significant spot on concept was reserved for Entourage, the show about an up-and-coming Hollywood star navigating in a corrupt LA scene (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott started watching it throughout lockdown, became “hooked”, and decided to put her own twist 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 explains. The inspiration for the series emerged—to some extent—from her own, initially difficult, relocation to LA and from her cosmic event, a frequently discussed phenomenon for astrology heads. That period marked an era that saw her learn some big life lessons, in her career and personally. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” 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 was almost like these biblical tests …”

Humble Origins

Brought up in Connecticut, the star commenced creating and acting humor while pursuing performance at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she explains. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”

Sennott seized control, taking the stage at open mics with her friend and sharing hysterical (and very) unconventional comedy videos online. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, depicted a group of women fetishistically obsessed with having babies; a different one portrayed working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being caught in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she encountered Emma through NYU’s movie community and eventually appearing in her initial project, Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a Jewish wake with echoes of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her path, she notes, has been people her own age giving her a shot, instead of the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she emphasizes, continuing humorously: “They don’t want us to win.”

Rising Success

Individuals who were skeptical regarding her previously will likely be feeling foolish now. In what she labels a “wild, full-circle” development, she seems to have created her dream vehicle. In 2019 she shared content called on LA life on the internet, in which she mocked film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Years later, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a show about LA residents balancing the perks of digital stardom (such as celebrating at Elijah Wood’s house) with drawbacks (your client being labeled as being a substance-abusing criminal, and potentially becoming a risky outcast). Some could tempting to create a series about digital influence that was overly idealized—or, even less favorable, one that belittled at the characters. The series avoids both, resulting in a representation of affluent twentysomething existence that’s frank about the grot and the glamour.

Empathetic Approach

“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