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The star enters the video call and at once starts an excuse. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, appearing truly remorseful. Although she's only a couple of minutes behind, she wants to justify. “My phone conversations always run long.” I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Thankfully, during an interview, that’s just what you want to encounter. Moreover, it’s quite unsurprising. Anyone who have seen her fearlessly LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass film Bottoms—which Sennott penned with her creative partner and appeared in together with collaborator the talented actress—would already know that she has a lot to discuss, ranging from on roles, relationships, or the pros of creating a teen combat group. And, by the end her new eight-part HBO series I Love LA, viewers realize that the star holds additional thoughts about the struggles of modern youth (At 30, Sennott is a bridge to younger audiences, a tale-end millennial skilled for bridging both generations).

Inspirations and Storytelling Approach

Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show are inevitable and the actress admits to being enthusiastic, naming the show alongside Sex and the City, Insecure and Atlanta as guides for I Love LA, which details the journey of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and ally who is also fledgling representative portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the biggest influence on creative vision went to the popular sitcom, the program focusing on a rising Hollywood star navigating in a gritty LA scene (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She began viewing it throughout lockdown, became “obsessed”, and decided to create a new version on it “for the girls and the gays”.

“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she says. The idea for the series originated—to some extent—from her own, originally fractious, transition to LA and from her astrological phase, a frequently discussed occurrence for astrology heads. It was a time that saw her understand major life lessons, in her career 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. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”

Starting Out

Growing up in New England, Sennott started developing and showcasing comedy while enrolled in theatre at NYU’s Tisch. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she explains. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”

Sennott decided to act independently, taking the stage at open mics with her friend and uploading hilarious (and decidedly) unconventional skits on the internet. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, followed a group of women fetishistically fixated on motherhood; a different one envisioned working at a trendy retail outlet as similar to being stuck in a thriller. By chance, she met Seligman through campus film circles and eventually appearing in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, a tense comedy set at a religious event with echoes of the intense thriller. The big theme of her path, she notes, has been peers giving her a shot, instead of the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “They were not involved”, she confirms, adding amusedly: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”

Career Breakthrough

Individuals who had doubts about her previously will certainly be feeling foolish currently. In what she labels a “astonishingly complete” development, she seems to have achieved her dream vehicle. Previously she shared content called “it’s LA” on social media, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Years later, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a series about Angelenos juggling benefits of online celebrity (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with drawbacks (your associate being suspected of being a drug-addled criminal, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). Some could tempting to produce a show about internet celebrity that was horribly glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at the characters. This show avoids both, creating a depiction of advantaged young adult life that’s honest about the mess and the shine.

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 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