The star joins the digital interview and immediately starts an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, sounding genuinely remorseful. Despite being only a couple of minutes behind, she feels compelled to clarify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Thankfully, during an interview, that’s exactly what you want to hear. Additionally, it’s pretty unsurprising. Anyone who have seen her boldly LGBTQ+ and outspoken project titled Bottoms—which Sennott collaborated on with her creative partner and featured in with her friend the talented actress—can already know that Sennott holds a lot to discuss, whether on gender, intimacy, or the merits of starting a youth combat group. And, by the end the recent multi-episode HBO series I Love LA, it is clear that the star holds even more perspectives regarding the challenges of modern youth (As a millennial, she serves as a bridge for this generation, a tale-end millennial with a knack for connecting millennials and Gen Z).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and Sennott readily acknowledges a fan, naming it in addition to the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as influences for I Love LA, which follows the struggles of online personality Tallulah and her friend who is also new agent Maia. Perhaps, the largest influence on concept went to the HBO series, that show about a rising Hollywood star succeeding in an often-seedy LA scene (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott began viewing it throughout lockdown, became “obsessed”, and resolved to create a new version on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“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 came—partly—from her own, initially difficult, move to Los Angeles and from the cosmic event, a popular event for followers. That period marked a phase that saw her understand some big truths, in her career and individually. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” 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 Connecticut, Sennott commenced creating and acting comedy while studying acting at NYU’s Tisch. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she states. “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.”
Sennott seized control, appearing at amateur nights with her friend and posting uproarious (and distinctly) weird skits online. One, Baby Cult, depicted characters fetishistically fixated on motherhood; a different one portrayed working at a trendy retail outlet as like being trapped in a thriller. By chance, she connected with Emma through NYU’s movie community and eventually starring in her first film, Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a religious event with echoes of the intense thriller. The central motif of her career, she explains, has been contemporaries supporting her, rather than established gatekeepers. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, continuing humorously: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Rising Success
Those who questioned about Sennott earlier will certainly be regretting it now. In what she describes as a “incredibly circular” development, she has created her dream vehicle. Previously she posted a clip titled “it’s LA” online, in which she mocked movie previews (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Years later, she’s a lead creator (with the co-writer) of a series about LA residents balancing the perks of internet fame (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your friend being accused of being a drug-addled stealer, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). One might simple to create a program about online fame that was horribly aspirational—or, more problematic, one that punched down at its subjects. I Love LA does neither, resulting in a depiction of advantaged millennial existence that’s honest about the grot and the glamour.
Nuanced Portrayal
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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
