The actress and writer exploring the uproarious series about that chaotic appeal of today's youth existence
The star enters the video call and immediately launches into an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she states, sounding really regretful. Despite being only a couple of minutes behind, she needs 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, this is precisely what one hopes to hear. Moreover, it’s fairly expected. Anyone who have seen her unapologetically LGBTQ+ and outspoken film Bottoms—that she penned with the director and featured in with close companion Ayo Edebiri—will be aware that Sennott holds plenty to share, whether about roles, intimacy, or the appeal of creating a high-school fight club. And, after watching the latest multi-episode program I Love LA, viewers realize that the star holds additional perspectives regarding the challenges of young adulthood (As a millennial, she serves as an honorary member for this generation, straddling eras adept for bridging both generations).
Influences and Storytelling Approach
Likenesses to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and Sennott admits to being a fan, naming it alongside the classic series, Insecure and Donald Glover’s series as guides for her series, which details the travails of online personality Tallulah and her friend and new representative Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the largest presence on the moodboard was reserved for Entourage, the HBO sitcom depicting an emerging celebrity succeeding in a gritty entertainment industry (notable statement: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott started watching it amid the pandemic, became “hooked”, and resolved to add a fresh perspective 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 concept for I Love LA emerged—to some extent—from personal, initially difficult, relocation to Los Angeles and from the cosmic event, a popular event for astrology heads. That period marked an era that involved her learn major truths, in her career and individually. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she says. “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 …”
Early Beginnings
Raised in the East Coast, Sennott started creating and acting humor while studying theatre at NYU’s Tisch. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she states. “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.”
She took matters into her own hands, appearing at live shows with her friend and uploading hilarious (and very) unconventional comedy videos on the internet. A particular video, Baby Cult, centered on a group of women fetishistically drawn to having babies; a different one imagined being employed at the brand Hollister as akin to being stuck in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she connected with Seligman through NYU’s movie community and ended up appearing in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful film set at a Jewish wake with shades of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her path, she explains, has been contemporaries offering opportunities, as opposed to the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she confirms, continuing with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”
Career Breakthrough
Individuals who questioned about her earlier will surely be feeling foolish today. Through she describes as a “incredibly circular” story, she appears to created the perfect project. Previously she uploaded content named “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she lampooned movie previews (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about LA residents balancing benefits of internet fame (such as socializing at a celebrity’s house) with its pitfalls (your associate being suspected of being a drug-addled criminal, and perhaps becoming a unreliable outcast). It would be tempting to make a program about internet celebrity that was horribly aspirational—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at its subjects. I Love LA steers clear of each, creating a depiction of privileged young adult life that’s frank about the chaos and the shine.
Nuanced Portrayal
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” she observes. “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