🔗 Share this article

The performer joins the video call and right away begins an apology. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, appearing really remorseful. Despite being only a couple of minutes late, she wants to clarify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Thankfully, for a writer, that’s precisely what one hopes to hear. Besides, it’s fairly predictable. Those familiar with the fearlessly openly gay and unapologetically crass project titled Bottoms—which Sennott co-wrote with Emma Seligman and starred in alongside close companion the talented actress—can already know that she holds much to discuss, be it on gender, sex, or the appeal of starting a teen combat group. Furthermore, after watching the latest multi-episode HBO series titled I Love LA, it is clear that the star has additional perspectives about the darker side of modern youth (As a millennial, Sennott serves as an honorary member to younger audiences, straddling eras adept for bridging both generations).

Inspirations and Storytelling Approach

Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show are inevitable and the actress admits to being a fan, citing it together with Sex and the City, Insecure and Donald Glover’s series as guides for her series, which follows the journey of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend and aspiring representative portrayed by Sennott. However, the biggest presence on creative vision went to Entourage, the HBO sitcom depicting an emerging A-list actor making his way in a corrupt LA scene (notable statement: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She began viewing it throughout the pandemic, became “obsessed”, and chose to add a fresh perspective on it “for the girls and the gays”.

“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she says. The concept for the series originated—to some extent—from her own, initially difficult, transition to LA and from the astrological phase, a popular occurrence for astrology heads. That period marked a phase that saw her learn major life lessons, work-wise and personally. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she says. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. It was almost like these biblical tests …”

Humble Origins

Raised in New England, the star started creating and acting humor while studying theatre at a prestigious arts school. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” 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?”

She took matters into her own hands, performing at live shows with Edebiri and sharing uproarious (and very) weird skits on the internet. A particular video, Baby Cult, depicted a group of women obsessively drawn to motherhood; another envisioned working at a trendy retail outlet as akin to being trapped in a horror film. Interestingly, she encountered Seligman through NYU’s movie community and ultimately featuring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a religious event with shades of the intense thriller. The big theme of her journey, she explains, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, as opposed to established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she confirms, continuing humorously: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”

Rising Success

Individuals who questioned regarding her previously will certainly be regretting it now. In what she labels a “wild, full-circle” story, she seems to have achieved an ideal role. A few years back she shared content titled “it’s LA” on social media, in which she lampooned movie previews (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with the co-writer) of a comedy about LA residents balancing the perks of online celebrity (such as partying at a famous actor’s house) with downsides (your client being accused of being a intoxicated criminal, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). One might tempting to make a program about internet celebrity that was horribly aspirational—or, worse, one that mocked at its subjects. I Love LA does neither, creating a portrait of advantaged twentysomething existence that’s candid about the mess and the shine.

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 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