The performer enters the online meeting and at once launches into an explanation. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, sounding really remorseful. Despite being only a couple of minutes delayed, she needs to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Fortunately, for a writer, this is exactly what one hopes to hear. Besides, it’s fairly predictable. Anyone familiar with the boldly queer and outspoken film Bottoms—that she collaborated on with Emma Seligman and starred in together with collaborator the talented actress—would be aware that she holds plenty to say, ranging from on roles, sex, or the merits of starting a teen fight club. And, after watching her new seasonal HBO series titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she carries further thoughts on the struggles of Gen Z life (As a millennial, she represents a relatable figure of the gang, a tale-end millennial skilled for bridging both generations).
Inspirations and Storytelling Approach
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and the actress admits to being an admirer, naming it alongside Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as guides for the project, which tracks the struggles of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend and fledgling agent Sennott’s character. Notably, the biggest spot on the moodboard was reserved for the HBO series, the show focusing on an emerging A-list actor navigating in a corrupt entertainment industry (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She started watching it amid lockdown, became “obsessed”, and chose to add a fresh perspective on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she notes. The inspiration for this project emerged—to some extent—from firsthand, at first rocky, transition to LA and from her saturn return, a popular phenomenon for astrology heads. That period marked a time that included her learn major truths, work-wise and in private life. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she says. “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…”
Humble Origins
Growing up in the East Coast, the star started developing and showcasing stand-up while studying theatre at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she explains. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “None of the university plays cast me either.” And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
Sennott decided to act independently, appearing at amateur nights with Edebiri and posting hilarious (and decidedly) bizarre online content on the internet. One, Baby Cult, depicted a group of women obsessively obsessed with having babies; another imagined working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being trapped in a horror film. In a neat twist of fate, she encountered Seligman through NYU’s movie community and ultimately appearing in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a funeral gathering with hints of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her journey, she explains, has been people her own age offering opportunities, rather than established gatekeepers. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “They were not involved”, she repeats, stating with a laugh: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Manifesting Dreams
Individuals who questioned regarding her earlier will likely be feeling foolish now. In what she describes as a “astonishingly complete” turn of events, she appears to created the perfect project. Previously she shared a video titled on LA life online, in which she lampooned movie previews (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Years later, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about Angelenos juggling benefits of internet fame (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your client being suspected of being a drug-addled criminal, and perhaps becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). It would be easy to create a show about digital influence that was horribly idealized—or, worse, one that belittled at those depicted. This show avoids both, making for a representation of advantaged twentysomething living that’s frank about the grot and the appeal.
Nuanced Portrayal
“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
