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The star appears on the digital interview and right away launches into an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, appearing genuinely apologetic. Despite being only a bit late, she feels compelled to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, in this context, this is just what you want to hear. Besides, it’s quite unsurprising. Anyone who know her boldly queer and outspoken film Bottoms—that Sennott collaborated on with her creative partner and featured in together with collaborator The Bear’s standout—can already know that she possesses much to say, ranging from on roles, intimacy, or the pros of forming a teen combat group. And, after watching the latest eight-part show I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she carries even more perspectives about the struggles of young adulthood (At 30, Sennott is an honorary member to younger audiences, on the cusp skilled for straddling both generations).

Inspirations and Artistic Direction

The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show are inevitable and Sennott is enthusiastic, referencing it alongside the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and Donald Glover’s series as inspirations for the project, which details the struggles of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and ally who is also new representative Maia. Notably, the largest spot on the moodboard went to the HBO series, that program focusing on an emerging celebrity making his way in an often-seedy LA scene (notable statement: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott discovered it amid COVID-19, became “captivated”, and decided to create a new version on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.

“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she explains. The inspiration for the series originated—in part—from her own, at first fractious, move to Los Angeles and from her astrological phase, a popular occurrence for enthusiasts. That period marked a time that saw her grasp some big truths, work-wise and in private life. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she says. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”

Humble Origins

Raised in Connecticut, Sennott commenced creating and acting humor while studying acting at a prestigious arts school. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she states. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “None of the university plays cast me either.” And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”

Sennott seized control, performing at open mics with her friend and sharing uproarious (and very) bizarre online content digitally. One, titled Baby Cult, depicted characters fetishistically drawn to having babies; another imagined being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being stuck in a thriller. Interestingly, she encountered Emma through the university’s film scene and ended up starring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a funeral gathering with hints of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her path, she says, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, instead of established gatekeepers. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, continuing amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”

Rising Success

Those who had doubts regarding her previously will certainly be kicking themselves currently. In what she calls a “astonishingly complete” turn of events, she appears to achieved the perfect project. A few years back she posted a video named on LA life on the internet, in which she mocked film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a show about LA residents managing the perks of digital stardom (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your associate being suspected of being a substance-abusing stealer, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). It would be easy to create a series about digital influence that was extremely idealized—or, more problematic, one that mocked at the characters. I Love LA steers clear of each, resulting in a portrait of advantaged millennial life that’s candid about the chaos and the appeal.

Empathetic Approach

“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” 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