The actress and writer exploring the side-splitting series about that chaotic appeal of today's youth lifestyle

The star joins the video call and immediately begins an apology. “Apologies for the delay!” she exclaims, seeming really remorseful. She is only slightly behind, she wants to justify. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Thankfully, in this context, this is exactly what is ideal to experience. Besides, it’s pretty expected. Viewers who have seen her unapologetically LGBTQ+ and outspoken project titled Bottoms—that she penned with the director and appeared in together with her friend The Bear’s standout—will understand that Sennott holds plenty to discuss, whether on gender, sex, or the merits of forming a youth brawl society. Plus, once you finish her new eight-part HBO series I Love LA, viewers realize that she carries further thoughts regarding the struggles of young adulthood (As a millennial, she represents a bridge to younger audiences, on the cusp with a knack for straddling different age groups).

Guiding Lights and Storytelling Approach

The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show are inevitable and Sennott is an admirer, citing it in addition to the classic series, Insecure and Donald Glover’s series as guides for the project, which details the journey of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and ally and new agent portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the largest spot on the moodboard went to Entourage, that HBO sitcom focusing on an emerging A-list actor making his way in a corrupt LA scene (memorable line: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She discovered it throughout the pandemic, became “captivated”, and resolved to add a fresh perspective 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 says. The idea for the series originated—in part—from firsthand, initially rocky, relocation to LA and from the saturn return, a much-talked-about phenomenon for followers. This represented an era that involved her learn significant life lessons, professionally and in private life. “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 resembled a series of extreme challenges…”

Starting Out

Growing up in the East Coast, the star commenced writing and performing comedy while pursuing theatre at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she states. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. 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 decided to act independently, appearing at open mics with her friend and uploading uproarious (and distinctly) unconventional online content online. One, Baby Cult, depicted a group of women fetishistically obsessed with having babies; a different one imagined working at the brand Hollister as similar to being stuck in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she met Seligman through campus film circles and eventually featuring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a Jewish wake with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her journey, she says, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, as opposed to the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, adding amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”

Career Breakthrough

Those who had doubts regarding her previously will surely be feeling foolish today. As part of she labels a “incredibly circular” story, she seems to have manifested an ideal role. Previously she uploaded content titled “it’s LA” on social media, in which she parodied film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a show about Angelenos balancing the perks of internet fame (such as celebrating at Elijah Wood’s house) with drawbacks (your associate being suspected of being a intoxicated criminal, and perhaps becoming a risky pariah). It would be simple to produce a series about online fame that was extremely glamorous—or, more problematic, one that punched down at those depicted. The series avoids both, creating a depiction of affluent twentysomething living that’s frank about the chaos and the glamour.

Nuanced Portrayal

“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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

Amy Harding
Amy Harding

A seasoned digital journalist with over a decade of experience in online media, specializing in content strategy and storytelling.