The actress and writer exploring the uproarious show depicting the messy appeal of Gen Z existence
The star enters the video call and right away starts an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, seeming genuinely apologetic. Although she's only a bit behind, she feels compelled to clarify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Fortunately, in this context, this is just what you want to experience. Moreover, it’s quite expected. Those familiar with the unapologetically openly gay and brash film Bottoms—that Sennott penned with Emma Seligman and featured in together with her friend the talented actress—can already know that she possesses much to share, whether about identity, relationships, or the pros of forming a teen brawl society. Furthermore, by the end the recent multi-episode show I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she has even more insights on the challenges of modern youth (Now in her thirties, she serves as an honorary member to younger audiences, a tale-end millennial adept for connecting millennials and Gen Z).
Guiding Lights and Storytelling Approach
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and Sennott readily acknowledges an admirer, naming it together with the classic series, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as influences for I Love LA, which details the journey of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend who is also new representative Maia. Notably, the biggest presence on the moodboard went to the HBO series, the program depicting a rising celebrity navigating in a corrupt Hollywood (choice quote: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She began viewing it amid lockdown, became “captivated”, and resolved to add a fresh perspective on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she explains. The concept for this project originated—to some extent—from personal, at first difficult, move to LA and from the astrological phase, a much-talked-about phenomenon for astrology heads. This represented an era that saw her grasp major truths, work-wise and in private life. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she recalls. “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 …”
Humble Origins
Raised in the East Coast, the star started developing and showcasing comedy while enrolled in theatre at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she states. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
She seized control, performing at live shows with her friend and sharing hysterical (and very) weird comedy videos online. One, Baby Cult, followed several females obsessively drawn to having babies; a different one imagined working at a trendy retail outlet as similar to being caught in a scary movie. Interestingly, she connected with Emma through campus film circles and ultimately appearing in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, a tense comedy set at a funeral gathering with hints of the Safdie brothers’ movie. A recurring idea of her journey, she says, has been people her own age supporting her, instead of traditional networks. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, continuing amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”
Manifesting Dreams
Individuals who questioned regarding her earlier will likely be regretting it today. In what she calls a “wild, full-circle” development, she has achieved an ideal role. Previously she uploaded a video called about Los Angeles online, in which she parodied movie previews (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with Emma Barrie) of a series about LA residents managing advantages of online celebrity (such as partying at a famous actor’s house) with drawbacks (your friend being suspected of being a substance-abusing criminal, and possibly becoming a risky outcast). Some could simple to produce a series about online fame that was extremely glamorous—or, more problematic, one that mocked at its subjects. I Love LA does neither, creating a depiction of privileged twentysomething life that’s candid about the chaos and the appeal.
Balanced Perspective
“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” 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
