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The star appears on the video call and at once begins an apology. “Apologies for the delay!” she says, seeming genuinely apologetic. Although she's only slightly delayed, she feels compelled to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Fortunately, for a writer, this is just what is ideal to experience. Additionally, it’s quite expected. Anyone familiar with her fearlessly openly gay and brash film Bottoms—which Sennott co-wrote with the director and starred in with her friend Ayo Edebiri—can be aware that Sennott has much to share, whether about identity, intimacy, or the merits of starting a youth combat group. And, by the end her latest seasonal HBO series titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she holds even more thoughts about the darker side of young adulthood (As a millennial, Sennott serves as a bridge to younger audiences, on the cusp adept for straddling millennials and Gen Z).

Inspirations and Storytelling Approach

Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show are inevitable and the actress admits to being a fan, referencing the show alongside Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as inspirations for the project, which follows the journey of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion and aspiring representative Maia. Notably, the largest influence on the moodboard went to the popular sitcom, the show depicting an emerging A-list actor succeeding in an often-seedy LA scene (notable statement: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott discovered it throughout COVID-19, became “hooked”, and decided to put her own twist on it “for the girls and the gays”.

“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she explains. The idea for the series originated—in part—from her own, initially rocky, relocation to LA and from her cosmic event, a frequently discussed occurrence for astrology heads. That period marked a time that involved her learn significant truths, professionally and individually. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she admits. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”

Early Beginnings

Brought up in New England, the star began creating and acting stand-up while studying acting at NYU’s Tisch. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she states. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “None of the university plays cast me either.” “I wondered why I was even there at all.”

She took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at open mics with Ayo and sharing hysterical (and distinctly) weird comedy videos on the internet. One, titled Baby Cult, depicted characters obsessively drawn to having babies; a different one imagined being employed at the brand Hollister as similar to being trapped in a horror film. In a neat twist of fate, she connected with Seligman through NYU’s movie community and eventually starring in her initial project, Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a religious event with hints of Uncut Gems. A recurring idea of her journey, she explains, has been peers offering opportunities, instead of traditional networks. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “They were not involved”, she repeats, adding humorously: “They don’t want us to win.”

Manifesting Dreams

Anyone who had doubts regarding her earlier will certainly be feeling foolish now. In what she calls a “incredibly circular” turn of events, she seems to have manifested the perfect project. A few years back she uploaded content named about Los Angeles online, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with the co-writer) of a show about city dwellers managing the perks of online celebrity (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your friend being accused of being a drug-addled thief, and perhaps becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). It would be tempting to produce a show about internet celebrity that was horribly idealized—or, even less favorable, one that mocked at its subjects. I Love LA steers clear of each, resulting in a depiction of privileged millennial existence that’s honest about the mess and the shine.

Balanced Perspective

“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