The actress and writer on the hilarious show depicting that messy allure of today's youth lifestyle
The performer joins the video call and right away starts an excuse. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, sounding truly regretful. She is only a couple of minutes late, she feels compelled to justify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Fortunately, for a writer, that’s exactly what is ideal to experience. Moreover, it’s pretty expected. Those who know the fearlessly queer and unapologetically crass film Bottoms—which she collaborated on with the director and featured in with collaborator The Bear’s standout—would be aware that she possesses plenty to say, ranging from about gender, sex, or the merits of creating a high-school fight club. And, once you finish the latest multi-episode HBO series titled I Love LA, it is clear that she carries additional thoughts on the darker side of young adulthood (Now in her thirties, she serves as a bridge to younger audiences, on the cusp adept for bridging millennials and Gen Z).
Influences and Creative Vision
Parallels to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and the actress is enthusiastic, citing it alongside the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as inspirations for the project, which details the struggles of an influencer Tallulah and ally who is also aspiring agent Sennott’s character. Notably, the most significant spot on the moodboard was reserved for the HBO series, that program depicting an up-and-coming A-list actor succeeding in a corrupt LA scene (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott started watching it throughout the pandemic, became “captivated”, 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 notes. The idea for this project came—partly—from firsthand, at first fractious, relocation to Los Angeles and from her saturn return, a popular event for astrology heads. It was a phase that involved her learn some big insights, work-wise and in private life. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she admits. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Starting Out
Growing up in Connecticut, the star started creating and acting stand-up while studying theatre at a prestigious arts school. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she says. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “None of the university plays cast me either.” And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She decided to act independently, appearing at live shows with Ayo and sharing hysterical (and distinctly) weird online content digitally. A particular video, Baby Cult, depicted characters intensely drawn to pregnancy; a different one portrayed working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being stuck in a scary movie. Interestingly, she connected with Emma through the university’s film scene and ultimately starring in her initial project, Shiva Baby, a tense film set at a religious event with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her path, she says, has been contemporaries supporting her, as opposed to traditional networks. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, adding humorously: “They don’t want us to win.”
Career Breakthrough
Individuals who were skeptical about Sennott then will certainly be regretting it currently. In what she labels a “astonishingly complete” turn of events, she seems to have created her dream vehicle. In 2019 she posted a clip called “it’s LA” online, in which she parodied Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Years later, she’s a lead creator (with her partner) of a series about city dwellers balancing benefits of internet fame (such as partying at a famous actor’s house) with drawbacks (your friend being accused of being a intoxicated criminal, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). One might tempting to create a series about online fame that was horribly aspirational—or, worse, one that belittled at those depicted. I Love LA avoids both, creating a depiction of affluent millennial life that’s frank about the chaos and the glamour.
Nuanced Portrayal
“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” 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