The performer joins the digital interview and right away launches into an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, seeming genuinely apologetic. Despite being only a couple of minutes behind, she feels compelled to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Thankfully, during an interview, that’s just what you want to encounter. Moreover, it’s fairly expected. Those who have seen the unapologetically LGBTQ+ and outspoken film titled Bottoms—that she penned with Emma Seligman and appeared in together with close companion the talented actress—can be aware that Sennott has much to share, be it about roles, intimacy, or the merits of forming a teen combat group. Furthermore, after watching her recent multi-episode show I Love LA, viewers realize that the star carries additional insights regarding the struggles of young adulthood (At 30, she represents a relatable figure of the gang, on the cusp with a knack for bridging both generations).
Guiding Lights and Creative Vision
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and the actress is enthusiastic, citing the show in addition to the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and the innovative program as influences for I Love LA, which follows the journey of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and ally who is also fledgling agent Maia. However, the largest presence on concept was reserved for the popular sitcom, the HBO sitcom depicting an up-and-coming celebrity navigating in an often-seedy Hollywood (memorable line: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott began viewing it amid the pandemic, became “captivated”, and resolved to put her own twist on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she says. The idea for I Love LA emerged—partly—from firsthand, initially difficult, transition to LA and from her saturn return, a popular event for astrology heads. It was a time that saw her learn some big truths, professionally and personally. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she admits. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Starting Out
Brought up in New England, the star began creating and acting comedy while pursuing 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. I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
Sennott seized control, appearing at live shows with Ayo and uploading uproarious (and distinctly) bizarre comedy videos on the internet. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, centered on a group of women intensely drawn to pregnancy; another portrayed being employed at the brand Hollister as like being trapped in a thriller. By chance, she connected with Emma through the university’s film scene and ultimately starring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a funeral gathering with shades of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her path, she notes, has been contemporaries supporting her, rather than established gatekeepers. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Definitely not them”, she repeats, adding amusedly: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Career Breakthrough
Individuals who had doubts regarding Sennott earlier will surely be feeling foolish now. As part of she describes as a “astonishingly complete” story, she has manifested her dream vehicle. In 2019 she shared a clip called “it’s LA” on social media, in which she parodied film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a series about LA residents managing advantages of internet fame (such as celebrating at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your associate being labeled as being a intoxicated stealer, and potentially becoming a risky persona non grata). One might tempting to make a series about internet celebrity that was extremely aspirational—or, more problematic, one that punched down at those depicted. I Love LA does neither, creating a depiction of affluent millennial life that’s frank about the mess and the appeal.
Balanced Perspective
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” she observes. “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
