The actress and writer on her uproarious show depicting that chaotic allure of Gen Z existence
The star enters the online meeting and at once begins an excuse. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, appearing truly regretful. She is only slightly delayed, she needs 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, in this context, this is precisely what you want to experience. Besides, it’s pretty predictable. Anyone who know her fearlessly LGBTQ+ and outspoken project Bottoms—that she penned with her creative partner and starred in with her friend Ayo Edebiri—would already know that she holds much to share, ranging from about roles, intimacy, or the pros of forming a high-school combat group. And, by the end the latest multi-episode HBO series I Love LA, viewers realize that she has additional insights about the darker side of modern youth (As a millennial, she is a relatable figure for this generation, straddling eras skilled for bridging both generations).
Inspirations and Storytelling Approach
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and the actress admits to being enthusiastic, referencing it together with the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and Donald Glover’s series as inspirations for the project, which details the struggles of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion and fledgling agent portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the largest presence on concept went to Entourage, the show about an up-and-coming Hollywood star navigating in a gritty entertainment industry (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She started watching it throughout the pandemic, became “captivated”, and chose to create a new version on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she notes. The inspiration for I Love LA originated—in part—from firsthand, at first fractious, relocation to LA and from her cosmic event, a popular event for astrology heads. This represented a phase that saw her learn some big truths, in her career and individually. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she recalls. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Early Beginnings
Brought up in the East Coast, Sennott commenced creating and acting humor while pursuing theatre at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” 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, performing at open mics with her friend and posting hysterical (and very) bizarre comedy videos digitally. A particular video, Baby Cult, centered on several females intensely fixated on motherhood; another portrayed working at the brand Hollister as similar to being caught in a thriller. In a neat twist of fate, she encountered Seligman through NYU’s movie community and eventually appearing in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful comedy set at a funeral gathering with echoes of the intense thriller. The central motif of her journey, she notes, has been peers offering opportunities, rather than established gatekeepers. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, stating amusedly: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Career Breakthrough
Anyone who had doubts about her then will likely be kicking themselves currently. As part of she calls a “astonishingly complete” story, she seems to have created the perfect project. Previously she shared a video titled about Los Angeles online, in which she mocked film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Years later, she’s the co-showrunner (with her partner) of a series about Angelenos juggling the perks of internet fame (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your friend being accused of being a substance-abusing stealer, and potentially becoming a unreliable pariah). It would be easy to make a show about internet celebrity that was horribly idealized—or, more problematic, one that belittled at those depicted. I Love LA avoids both, creating a representation of privileged twentysomething living that’s frank about the mess and the appeal.
Balanced Perspective
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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