The actress and writer on the uproarious series portraying the messy allure of Gen Z life

The star appears on the video call and at once starts an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, sounding genuinely regretful. She is only slightly late, she feels compelled to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Luckily, for a writer, that’s just what you want to encounter. Moreover, it’s quite unsurprising. Those familiar with her boldly openly gay and brash project titled Bottoms—that Sennott collaborated on with Emma Seligman and featured in alongside collaborator the talented actress—can already know that Sennott holds much to discuss, whether on identity, intimacy, or the appeal of starting a youth combat group. And, after watching the new eight-part HBO series I Love LA, it is clear that she has further thoughts on the challenges of modern youth (As a millennial, Sennott serves as a bridge for this generation, straddling eras adept for bridging both generations).

Inspirations and Storytelling Approach

The comparisons to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and the actress is a fan, referencing the show alongside the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and the innovative program as inspirations for the project, which tracks the travails of a social media star Tallulah and close companion and fledgling talent manager Sennott’s character. However, the biggest presence on the moodboard went to the popular sitcom, the show depicting an up-and-coming Hollywood star succeeding in a corrupt Hollywood (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She started watching it throughout lockdown, became “obsessed”, and chose to put her own twist on it “for the girls and the gays”.

“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she notes. The inspiration for this project originated—partly—from personal, originally fractious, relocation to Tinseltown and from her saturn return, a much-talked-about phenomenon for enthusiasts. That period marked a phase that saw her grasp major life lessons, work-wise and in private life. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she says. “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

Growing up in the East Coast, the star started developing and showcasing humor while studying acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she states. “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 decided to act independently, appearing at open mics with her friend and sharing hysterical (and decidedly) bizarre online content online. One, titled Baby Cult, followed a group of women intensely obsessed with motherhood; another imagined working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being caught in a horror film. In a neat twist of fate, she encountered Emma through campus film circles and eventually starring in her initial project, Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a religious event with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her path, she explains, has been people her own age supporting her, as opposed to traditional networks. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Definitely not them”, she emphasizes, continuing humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”

Manifesting Dreams

Anyone who were skeptical about Sennott previously will certainly be feeling foolish today. In what she describes as a “astonishingly complete” story, she has created the perfect project. In 2019 she shared a video titled on LA life online, in which she parodied film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a show about LA residents juggling benefits of internet fame (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being labeled as being a substance-abusing stealer, and perhaps becoming a risky persona non grata). Some could tempting to make a show about digital influence that was extremely idealized—or, more problematic, one that belittled at its subjects. I Love LA steers clear of each, resulting in a depiction of advantaged young adult life that’s frank about the chaos and the appeal.

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