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The performer joins the digital interview and at once starts an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she states, sounding truly regretful. Despite being only a couple of minutes behind, she feels compelled to justify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Thankfully, in this context, this is exactly what you want to hear. Moreover, it’s fairly predictable. Anyone familiar with her boldly openly gay and brash project Bottoms—which she co-wrote with her creative partner and starred in with close companion The Bear’s standout—can already know that Sennott has a lot to share, whether on identity, intimacy, or the merits of starting a teen fight club. And, by the end her new seasonal show I Love LA, it is clear that the star has further insights about the challenges of modern youth (As a millennial, Sennott is a bridge of the gang, on the cusp skilled for connecting different age groups).

Guiding Lights and Creative Vision

Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and Sennott readily acknowledges enthusiastic, naming it alongside the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and Donald Glover’s series as influences for the project, which tracks the journey of a social media star Tallulah and her friend and aspiring agent portrayed by Sennott. However, the biggest influence on the moodboard went to the HBO series, the show depicting a rising A-list actor succeeding in a corrupt LA scene (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott started watching it amid COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and decided 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 inspiration for the series originated—to some extent—from firsthand, initially fractious, relocation to Tinseltown and from the saturn return, a much-talked-about phenomenon for followers. It was a time that saw her learn some big life lessons, in her career and in private life. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” 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 …”

Early Beginnings

Brought up in New England, the star began writing and performing comedy while studying acting at NYU’s Tisch. “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.” “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, taking the stage at open mics with Edebiri and uploading hysterical (and decidedly) unconventional comedy videos on the internet. One, titled Baby Cult, centered on a group of women obsessively obsessed with motherhood; another portrayed being employed at the brand Hollister as similar to being caught in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she connected with Emma through campus film circles and ended up appearing in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a tense comedy set at a religious event with echoes of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her path, she says, has been peers supporting her, instead of established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she emphasizes, stating with a laugh: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”

Manifesting Dreams

Those who had doubts regarding her earlier will likely be kicking themselves today. As part of she labels a “astonishingly complete” development, she has created an ideal role. A few years back she uploaded a video titled “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with her partner) of a series about Angelenos juggling the perks of digital stardom (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your associate being accused of being a drug-addled criminal, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). It would be simple to create a show about digital influence that was overly idealized—or, more problematic, one that punched down at its subjects. This show does neither, making for a portrait of advantaged young adult living that’s frank about the mess and the glamour.

Nuanced Portrayal

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