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The performer joins the digital interview and at once launches into an excuse. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she states, sounding genuinely apologetic. She is only a bit delayed, she needs to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Luckily, in this context, that’s precisely what is ideal to experience. Moreover, it’s pretty unsurprising. Anyone familiar with her fearlessly openly gay and outspoken film Bottoms—that she co-wrote with Emma Seligman and starred in with close companion the talented actress—will already know that she has much to discuss, ranging from on gender, sex, or the appeal of creating a youth brawl society. And, once you finish the latest seasonal show I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she holds additional perspectives about the struggles of Gen Z life (At 30, Sennott represents an honorary member of the gang, straddling eras adept for connecting both generations).

Inspirations and Artistic Direction

Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show are inevitable and the actress is an admirer, naming the show alongside the classic series, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as inspirations for her series, which follows the struggles of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and ally who is also new representative Sennott’s character. However, the biggest influence on concept went to the HBO series, that HBO sitcom focusing on an up-and-coming Hollywood star making his way in a gritty LA scene (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She discovered it amid lockdown, became “hooked”, and resolved to create a new version on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.

“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she explains. The inspiration for this project came—in part—from personal, initially difficult, move to Tinseltown and from the saturn return, a frequently discussed event for enthusiasts. It was a phase that saw her learn major truths, in her career and personally. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she admits. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. It was almost like these biblical tests …”

Humble Origins

Brought up in Connecticut, Sennott started writing and performing stand-up while pursuing acting at a prestigious arts school. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” 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.”

She took matters into her own hands, appearing at open mics with Ayo and uploading hysterical (and decidedly) weird online content on the internet. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, depicted a group of women fetishistically fixated on pregnancy; a different one imagined being employed at a trendy retail outlet as like being stuck in a scary movie. Interestingly, she connected with Emma through NYU’s movie community and eventually appearing in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful film set at a religious event with hints of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her journey, she explains, has been peers giving her a shot, instead of established gatekeepers. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Definitely not them”, she emphasizes, adding humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”

Manifesting Dreams

Individuals who were skeptical regarding her then will surely be feeling foolish today. In what she labels a “incredibly circular” development, she seems to have achieved the perfect project. Previously she posted a video titled about Los Angeles online, in which she mocked movie previews (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Years later, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about Angelenos balancing the perks of digital stardom (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with drawbacks (your client being labeled as being a intoxicated stealer, and perhaps becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). Some could easy to make a show about internet celebrity that was horribly idealized—or, even less favorable, one that belittled at those depicted. The series does neither, creating a portrait of advantaged young adult life that’s candid about the mess and the shine.

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