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The performer enters the digital interview and right away starts an excuse. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, appearing truly regretful. Despite being only a couple of minutes behind, she feels compelled to explain. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Fortunately, during an interview, this is exactly what you want to experience. Besides, it’s quite predictable. Anyone who know her unapologetically LGBTQ+ and brash movie Bottoms—that she collaborated on with Emma Seligman and appeared in together with collaborator The Bear’s standout—will already know that she has plenty to say, be it about gender, sex, or the merits of forming a high-school combat group. And, once you finish her recent eight-part show titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she carries additional insights regarding the challenges of modern youth (At 30, she is a relatable figure of the gang, on the cusp adept for connecting both generations).

Inspirations and Storytelling Approach

Likenesses to the iconic series Girls can’t be avoided and the actress is enthusiastic, referencing it alongside the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as influences for I Love LA, which tracks the journey of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and ally and aspiring agent portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the largest influence on creative vision went to Entourage, that show focusing on an emerging A-list actor succeeding in a corrupt entertainment industry (memorable line: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott started watching it during lockdown, became “obsessed”, and chose to add a fresh perspective on it “for the girls and the gays”.

“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she says. The inspiration for I Love LA emerged—partly—from personal, initially fractious, relocation to Tinseltown and from the astrological phase, a popular phenomenon for astrology heads. This represented a time that included her learn some big truths, work-wise and individually. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she admits. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”

Humble Origins

Growing up in Connecticut, the star started developing and showcasing stand-up while studying theatre at NYU’s Tisch. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she explains. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”

She seized control, appearing at live shows with her friend and sharing uproarious (and distinctly) weird comedy videos digitally. One, Baby Cult, depicted characters intensely fixated on pregnancy; a different one portrayed working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being caught in a scary movie. By chance, she encountered Emma through the university’s film scene and ultimately appearing in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a religious event with hints of Uncut Gems. The central motif of her journey, she says, has been peers giving her a shot, as opposed to established gatekeepers. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Definitely not them”, she emphasizes, adding amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”

Manifesting Dreams

Those who were skeptical about her earlier will surely be regretting it currently. In what she describes as a “incredibly circular” development, she seems to have created the perfect project. Previously she uploaded a video named about Los Angeles on social media, in which she parodied film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a show about Angelenos balancing advantages of online celebrity (such as partying at a famous actor’s house) with drawbacks (your friend being labeled as being a intoxicated thief, and possibly becoming a risky persona non grata). Some could easy to produce a show about online fame that was overly idealized—or, even less favorable, one that belittled at the characters. The series does neither, resulting in a representation of privileged twentysomething life that’s candid about the mess and the glamour.

Nuanced Portrayal

“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” she observes. “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