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The performer joins the video call and right away begins an excuse. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, sounding genuinely apologetic. She is only slightly delayed, she feels compelled to clarify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Fortunately, in this context, this is just what one hopes to experience. Additionally, it’s pretty expected. Those who have seen the boldly queer and brash project titled Bottoms—that Sennott collaborated on with Emma Seligman and appeared in alongside collaborator Ayo Edebiri—would understand that Sennott possesses much to share, whether on gender, relationships, or the pros of starting a high-school brawl society. And, by the end her new seasonal HBO series I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she holds even more insights about the struggles of modern youth (At 30, she represents a relatable figure for this generation, straddling eras adept for connecting millennials and Gen Z).

Influences and Artistic Direction

The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s Girls can’t be avoided and Sennott admits to being an admirer, referencing it together with the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and Donald Glover’s series as influences for the project, which follows the struggles of a social media star Tallulah and her friend and fledgling agent portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the largest presence on the moodboard was reserved for the popular sitcom, that show about an up-and-coming A-list actor making his way in a gritty Hollywood (choice quote: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott began viewing it amid lockdown, 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 notes. The concept for the series originated—to some extent—from her own, initially difficult, move to Los Angeles and from her saturn return, a frequently discussed event for astrology heads. That period marked an era that involved her understand some big truths, in her career and personally. “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. It was almost like these biblical tests …”

Humble Origins

Brought up in Connecticut, Sennott commenced writing and performing comedy while studying theatre at NYU’s Tisch. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she states. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “None of the university plays cast me either.” “I wondered why I was even there at all.”

Sennott decided to act independently, taking the stage at live shows with Ayo and posting hysterical (and decidedly) bizarre online content digitally. One, titled Baby Cult, centered on several females intensely drawn to pregnancy; another envisioned working at a trendy retail outlet as similar to being caught in a scary movie. By chance, she encountered Seligman through the university’s film scene and eventually starring in her initial project, Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a Jewish wake with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The big theme of her career, she notes, has been contemporaries supporting her, as opposed to the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she repeats, continuing humorously: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”

Career Breakthrough

Those who were skeptical about her earlier will likely be kicking themselves today. In what she describes as a “incredibly circular” story, she appears to created an ideal role. In 2019 she shared a clip named “it’s LA” on social media, in which she parodied Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with her partner) of a series about city dwellers balancing benefits of digital stardom (such as celebrating at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your associate being suspected of being a substance-abusing stealer, and potentially becoming a risky pariah). Some could tempting to make a series about internet celebrity that was horribly aspirational—or, even less favorable, one that belittled at those depicted. I Love LA steers clear of each, creating a representation of privileged twentysomething existence that’s candid about the chaos and the glamour.

Empathetic Approach

“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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