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The performer enters the digital interview and immediately begins an apology. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she states, sounding really remorseful. She is only a couple of minutes 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!” Thankfully, during an interview, that’s exactly what is ideal to experience. Besides, it’s pretty unsurprising. Those who have seen her fearlessly openly gay and brash film titled Bottoms—which Sennott collaborated on with Emma Seligman and appeared in with her friend Ayo Edebiri—would be aware that she has plenty to discuss, whether about roles, relationships, or the pros of forming a youth combat group. Furthermore, by the end the recent multi-episode HBO series I Love LA, it is clear that the star has further insights about the darker side of young adulthood (Now in her thirties, Sennott is a relatable figure for this generation, a tale-end millennial skilled for bridging both generations).

Influences and Artistic Direction

Likenesses to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and Sennott is a fan, naming the show alongside the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as influences for the project, which tracks the travails of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend who is also aspiring representative portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the biggest spot on creative vision was reserved for the popular sitcom, the show depicting an emerging celebrity making his way in a gritty LA scene (memorable line: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She started watching it amid lockdown, became “captivated”, and decided to add a fresh perspective on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.

“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she says. The inspiration for the series emerged—in part—from her own, initially rocky, transition to Los Angeles and from the astrological phase, a much-talked-about occurrence for astrology heads. This represented a time that saw her understand significant truths, in her career and individually. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” 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

Growing up in New England, Sennott started writing and performing humor while studying theatre at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she explains. “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.”

Sennott decided to act independently, appearing at open mics with Ayo and posting hysterical (and decidedly) weird skits on the internet. One, titled Baby Cult, followed several females obsessively drawn to pregnancy; a different one envisioned being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being caught in a thriller. In a neat twist of fate, she connected with Seligman through campus film circles and eventually starring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a religious event with shades of the intense thriller. The central motif of her journey, she explains, has been peers offering opportunities, instead of traditional networks. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, adding humorously: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”

Manifesting Dreams

Anyone who had doubts about her then will certainly be kicking themselves currently. Through she labels a “incredibly circular” development, she seems to have manifested an ideal role. In 2019 she shared content titled about Los Angeles online, in which she parodied Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Years later, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a series about city dwellers juggling the perks of online celebrity (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with drawbacks (your friend being labeled as being a substance-abusing stealer, and perhaps becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). Some could tempting to produce a program about online fame that was horribly glamorous—or, worse, one that mocked at the characters. I Love LA does neither, making for a depiction of affluent twentysomething living that’s candid about the grot and the appeal.

Empathetic Approach

“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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