The comedic talent exploring the side-splitting series depicting that messy glamour of Gen Z existence

The star enters the video call and at once begins an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, seeming genuinely remorseful. Although she's only a bit delayed, she needs to clarify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Fortunately, during an interview, that’s exactly what you want to experience. Besides, it’s quite expected. Those who know the unapologetically LGBTQ+ and outspoken project Bottoms—that she co-wrote with the director and featured in with collaborator the talented actress—would understand that she possesses plenty to discuss, whether on gender, intimacy, or the appeal of starting a youth fight club. Furthermore, after watching her new seasonal show titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star holds further insights regarding the challenges of young adulthood (Now in her thirties, she serves as a relatable figure to younger audiences, a tale-end millennial adept for bridging both generations).

Guiding Lights and Storytelling Approach

Likenesses to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and the actress is a fan, referencing it alongside Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and Donald Glover’s series as influences for the project, which details the journey of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion and new talent manager Maia. Notably, the largest presence on creative vision belonged to the HBO series, the HBO sitcom depicting an up-and-coming A-list actor navigating in an often-seedy LA scene (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott started watching it during lockdown, became “obsessed”, and decided 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 idea for this project originated—to some extent—from her own, originally fractious, transition to Los Angeles and from her saturn return, a frequently discussed phenomenon for enthusiasts. This represented a time that involved her grasp some big life lessons, professionally and individually. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she recalls. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”

Starting Out

Growing up in Connecticut, Sennott began writing and performing humor while pursuing performance at NYU’s Tisch. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” 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.”

Sennott seized control, appearing at open mics with Ayo and uploading hysterical (and very) weird comedy videos online. A particular video, Baby Cult, depicted several females intensely obsessed with having babies; another portrayed working at a trendy retail outlet as like being trapped in a thriller. In a neat twist of fate, she connected with Seligman through the university’s film scene and ultimately starring in her initial project, Shiva Baby, a tense comedy set at a funeral gathering with hints of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her path, she notes, has been people her own age offering opportunities, as opposed to established gatekeepers. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she repeats, continuing with a laugh: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”

Manifesting Dreams

Anyone who were skeptical regarding Sennott earlier will surely be kicking themselves today. Through she describes as a “incredibly circular” story, she appears to manifested an ideal role. A few years back she posted content titled “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she mocked film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Six years on, she’s the co-showrunner (with the co-writer) of a series about city dwellers managing the perks of online celebrity (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your client being accused of being a drug-addled stealer, and possibly becoming a risky persona non grata). It would be easy to create a series about online fame that was overly glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that belittled at the characters. This show avoids both, creating a representation of affluent millennial life that’s honest about the grot and the glamour.

Balanced Perspective

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

Hannah Wong
Hannah Wong

A technology journalist and software developer with over 10 years of experience in AI research and digital transformation projects.