The star appears on the online meeting and at once starts an excuse. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, seeming genuinely remorseful. Despite being only slightly delayed, she wants to clarify. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Luckily, in this context, this is just what one hopes to experience. Additionally, it’s quite expected. Viewers familiar with the fearlessly openly gay and outspoken film Bottoms—which Sennott penned with her creative partner and starred in alongside close companion the talented actress—can already know that Sennott has a lot to discuss, ranging from about gender, intimacy, or the merits of starting a high-school combat group. And, once you finish the new eight-part show titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she carries further perspectives about the darker side of modern youth (As a millennial, Sennott is a bridge for this generation, a tale-end millennial with a knack for bridging different age groups).
Inspirations and Storytelling Approach
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s Girls are inevitable and Sennott readily acknowledges enthusiastic, naming it alongside the classic series, Insecure and Atlanta as guides for I Love LA, which follows the struggles of online personality Tallulah and her friend who is also new agent Maia. Perhaps, the biggest presence on concept went to Entourage, that HBO sitcom about an emerging Hollywood star succeeding in a gritty entertainment industry (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott started watching it throughout COVID-19, became “captivated”, and chose 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 notes. The inspiration for this project originated—partly—from firsthand, initially fractious, transition to Los Angeles and from the cosmic event, a frequently discussed phenomenon for followers. It was a time that involved her understand some big life lessons, professionally and personally. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she recalls. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Starting Out
Growing up in the East Coast, Sennott began creating and acting stand-up while enrolled in acting at a prestigious arts school. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she explains. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, performing at open mics with her friend and sharing hilarious (and distinctly) unconventional online content on the internet. A particular video, Baby Cult, centered on characters fetishistically obsessed with motherhood; another portrayed working at a trendy retail outlet as akin to being stuck in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she connected with Seligman through campus film circles and ended up featuring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a stressful comedy set at a religious event with hints of Uncut Gems. A recurring idea of her journey, she explains, has been people her own age supporting her, as opposed to established gatekeepers. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “They were not involved”, she repeats, adding humorously: “They don’t want us to win.”
Manifesting Dreams
Individuals who were skeptical regarding Sennott then will surely be kicking themselves today. As part of she describes as a “incredibly circular” turn of events, she appears to created her dream vehicle. Previously she uploaded content named “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she mocked movie previews (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Years later, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a show about LA residents juggling advantages of online celebrity (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with drawbacks (your friend being suspected of being a drug-addled stealer, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). It would be tempting to make a show about digital influence that was horribly idealized—or, more problematic, one that mocked at its subjects. The series avoids both, resulting in a representation of privileged twentysomething existence that’s honest about the grot and the shine.
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
