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The performer joins the video call and at once launches into an excuse. “Apologies for the delay!” she says, appearing genuinely remorseful. Despite being only a couple of minutes behind, she feels compelled to justify. “My phone conversations always run long.” I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Luckily, during an interview, this is just what one hopes to encounter. Additionally, it’s quite unsurprising. Anyone familiar with her unapologetically queer and outspoken film Bottoms—that she penned with her creative partner and starred in together with collaborator the talented actress—would be aware that she holds much to share, whether about gender, intimacy, or the merits of creating a youth fight club. Furthermore, by the end her latest seasonal show I Love LA, viewers realize that the star holds further perspectives on the struggles of Gen Z life (At 30, she represents an honorary member to younger audiences, straddling eras with a knack for connecting both generations).

Influences and Artistic Direction

Parallels to Lena Dunham’s Girls are inevitable and Sennott admits to being enthusiastic, naming the show in addition to the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and Donald Glover’s series as guides for her series, which details the struggles of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and ally and fledgling agent Sennott’s character. Notably, the largest presence on the moodboard went to Entourage, the program depicting an up-and-coming celebrity making his way in a corrupt Hollywood (notable statement: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott began viewing it throughout the pandemic, became “captivated”, and chose to add a fresh perspective on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.

“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she says. The concept for I Love LA came—in part—from personal, originally fractious, transition to Los Angeles and from the saturn return, a much-talked-about occurrence for followers. That period marked an era that included her learn significant insights, work-wise and individually. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she recalls. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”

Humble Origins

Raised in the East Coast, the star commenced developing and showcasing humor while enrolled in performance at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she explains. “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. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”

Sennott took matters into her own hands, performing at open mics with Edebiri and sharing hysterical (and distinctly) unconventional online content digitally. A particular video, Baby Cult, followed several females intensely obsessed with having babies; a different one envisioned working at the brand Hollister as like being trapped in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she encountered Seligman through campus film circles and ended up featuring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a Jewish wake with hints of the intense thriller. The big theme of her path, she says, has been peers giving her a shot, as opposed to the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, continuing amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”

Manifesting Dreams

Those who had doubts regarding Sennott previously will likely be regretting it currently. In what she labels a “incredibly circular” development, she seems to have manifested an ideal role. A few years back she uploaded a video called “it’s LA” online, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a comedy about Angelenos managing the perks of digital stardom (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being labeled as being a drug-addled stealer, and possibly becoming a unreliable persona non grata). It would be easy to make a show about online fame that was overly idealized—or, more problematic, one that mocked at those depicted. This show does neither, creating a depiction of affluent millennial living that’s honest about the grot and the shine.

Balanced Perspective

“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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