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The performer enters the video call and at once starts an apology. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, seeming truly regretful. Although she's only slightly late, she wants to justify. “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, that’s exactly what you want to encounter. Moreover, it’s fairly predictable. Viewers who know her unapologetically queer and outspoken project titled Bottoms—which she co-wrote with the director and starred in with her friend the talented actress—can understand that Sennott has a lot to discuss, whether on identity, intimacy, or the merits of starting a teen brawl society. Furthermore, after watching her new eight-part HBO series titled I Love LA, it is clear that the star carries further thoughts on the challenges of modern youth (As a millennial, Sennott is a relatable figure for this generation, straddling eras with a knack for connecting millennials and Gen Z).

Guiding Lights and Artistic Direction

Likenesses to the iconic series Girls can’t be avoided and the actress readily acknowledges an admirer, naming it together with the classic series, Insecure and Atlanta as guides for her series, which tracks the struggles of online personality Tallulah and close companion who is also fledgling representative Sennott’s character. However, the biggest spot on creative vision belonged to Entourage, that HBO sitcom focusing on a rising A-list actor making his way in an often-seedy entertainment industry (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She began viewing it during COVID-19, became “hooked”, and decided to create a new version on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.

“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 originated—to some extent—from her own, originally difficult, transition to Los Angeles and from her saturn return, a frequently discussed phenomenon for astrology heads. This represented an era that saw her understand major insights, professionally and personally. “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 the East Coast, Sennott commenced writing and performing comedy while pursuing theatre at a prestigious arts school. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she says. “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. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”

She took matters into her own hands, performing at amateur nights with Ayo and uploading hilarious (and distinctly) weird skits online. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, depicted characters fetishistically drawn to having babies; another portrayed being employed at the brand Hollister as akin to being caught in a thriller. Interestingly, she encountered Seligman through NYU’s movie community and ended up featuring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a religious event with shades of Uncut Gems. The central motif of her journey, she notes, has been contemporaries supporting her, as opposed to traditional networks. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she repeats, continuing with a laugh: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”

Manifesting Dreams

Those who had doubts about her previously will likely be kicking themselves today. In what she describes as a “wild, full-circle” story, she seems to have manifested the perfect project. A few years back she shared a video titled “it’s LA” online, in which she parodied movie previews (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a show about city dwellers managing advantages of online celebrity (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with drawbacks (your friend being suspected of being a intoxicated stealer, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). It would be tempting to produce a program about internet celebrity that was extremely idealized—or, worse, one that punched down at its subjects. The series avoids both, creating a portrait of advantaged millennial existence that’s candid about the mess and the appeal.

Nuanced Portrayal

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