The performer enters the video call and right away begins an excuse. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, appearing really apologetic. Despite being only a bit late, she wants to clarify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, for a writer, that’s precisely what is ideal to hear. Moreover, it’s fairly predictable. Those who know the fearlessly queer and outspoken movie Bottoms—which she co-wrote with the director and featured in together with close companion the talented actress—will be aware that she possesses a lot to share, ranging from about gender, sex, or the merits of forming a youth brawl society. And, after watching the recent multi-episode show I Love LA, viewers realize that the star carries additional insights about the struggles of Gen Z life (Now in her thirties, she serves as an honorary member of the gang, on the cusp adept for connecting millennials and Gen Z).
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and the actress admits to being a fan, naming it alongside the classic series, Insecure and the innovative program as influences for the project, which follows the journey of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend who is also aspiring talent manager Maia. However, the largest presence on creative vision was reserved for the HBO series, that HBO sitcom about a rising Hollywood star navigating in a corrupt entertainment industry (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott began viewing it amid lockdown, became “hooked”, 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 says. The idea for I Love LA originated—to some extent—from her own, originally fractious, relocation to Los Angeles and from her astrological phase, a frequently discussed occurrence for followers. It was a phase that involved her learn some big life lessons, work-wise and in private life. “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. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Brought up in the East Coast, Sennott commenced writing and performing comedy while studying theatre at a prestigious arts school. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she says. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “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 her friend and sharing hilarious (and decidedly) bizarre comedy videos digitally. A particular video, Baby Cult, followed several females fetishistically obsessed with pregnancy; a different one envisioned being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being stuck in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she connected with Seligman through campus film circles and ended up starring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a stressful comedy set at a religious event with hints of the intense thriller. The central motif of her journey, she says, has been peers supporting her, instead of the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, adding with a laugh: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Anyone who questioned regarding her earlier will surely be feeling foolish now. As part of she labels a “wild, full-circle” turn of events, she appears to achieved the perfect project. Previously she posted a clip named about Los Angeles on social media, in which she parodied Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Years later, she’s a lead creator (with her partner) of a series about Angelenos balancing advantages of online celebrity (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your client being suspected of being a substance-abusing criminal, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” pariah). It would be easy to create a series about digital influence that was horribly aspirational—or, more problematic, one that mocked at those depicted. I Love LA avoids both, resulting in a representation of affluent young adult existence that’s honest about the mess and the appeal.
“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
Elara Vance is a seasoned sports analyst with over a decade of experience in betting strategies and statistical analysis.
