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The performer appears on the video call and immediately launches into an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she says, appearing really regretful. Although she's only a bit late, she wants to justify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Fortunately, in this context, that’s just what you want to experience. Moreover, it’s fairly expected. Those familiar with her unapologetically LGBTQ+ and outspoken project Bottoms—which she co-wrote with Emma Seligman and featured in together with her friend the talented actress—would already know that she holds plenty to say, whether on gender, sex, or the merits of starting a high-school combat group. Furthermore, by the end her new multi-episode show I Love LA, it is clear that she has further perspectives on the struggles of modern youth (As a millennial, Sennott is a relatable figure to younger audiences, straddling eras with a knack for bridging different age groups).

Inspirations and Artistic Direction

Parallels to the iconic series Girls can’t be avoided and Sennott admits to being enthusiastic, citing it together with the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and the innovative program as inspirations for the project, which follows the struggles of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion who is also new agent portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the biggest influence on creative vision belonged to Entourage, the HBO sitcom focusing on a rising A-list actor succeeding in a gritty LA scene (memorable line: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She started watching it throughout the pandemic, became “hooked”, and resolved 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 says. The inspiration for I Love LA emerged—to some extent—from personal, initially fractious, relocation to LA and from the astrological phase, a popular occurrence for astrology heads. It was a time that saw her understand some big truths, professionally and in private life. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she recalls. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. It was almost like these biblical tests …”

Humble Origins

Brought up in New England, the star commenced writing and performing stand-up while enrolled in theatre at NYU’s Tisch. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she says. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “None of the university plays cast me either.” “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”

Sennott took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at amateur nights with Edebiri and uploading uproarious (and very) unconventional online content digitally. One, titled Baby Cult, depicted a group of women intensely obsessed with pregnancy; a different one envisioned working at a trendy retail outlet as like being stuck in a horror film. By chance, she encountered Emma through the university’s film scene and ended up starring in her initial project, Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a funeral gathering with hints of Uncut Gems. A recurring idea of her career, she says, has been people her own age giving her a shot, rather than the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she repeats, continuing with a laugh: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”

Manifesting Dreams

Anyone who had doubts regarding her previously will surely be kicking themselves today. In what she describes as a “incredibly circular” turn of events, she appears to achieved the perfect project. In 2019 she uploaded a video called “it’s LA” on social media, in which she mocked film promos (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a show about city dwellers managing advantages of digital stardom (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your friend being labeled as being a drug-addled stealer, and potentially becoming a unreliable outcast). Some could easy to make a series about online fame that was horribly idealized—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at the characters. This show steers clear of each, resulting in a representation of advantaged young adult living that’s honest about the grot and the glamour.

Empathetic Approach

“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