The star appears on the online meeting and at once begins an excuse. “Apologies for the delay!” she says, seeming truly regretful. Despite being only slightly behind, she needs to clarify. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Fortunately, during an interview, that’s just what you want to encounter. Moreover, it’s pretty expected. Anyone familiar with the boldly queer and outspoken movie Bottoms—that Sennott penned with Emma Seligman and appeared in together with her friend Ayo Edebiri—would understand that she possesses much to discuss, ranging from on gender, relationships, or the pros of starting a high-school fight club. Plus, by the end her latest eight-part HBO series I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star has further thoughts regarding the darker side of young adulthood (As a millennial, she represents a bridge of the gang, on the cusp adept for connecting both generations).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show can’t be avoided and the actress admits to being enthusiastic, citing it alongside Sex and the City, Insecure and Donald Glover’s series as guides for I Love LA, which details the struggles of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and ally who is also fledgling representative Maia. Notably, the biggest presence on the moodboard belonged to Entourage, the HBO sitcom about a rising A-list actor succeeding in an often-seedy LA scene (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She started watching it throughout COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and decided to put her own twist on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she explains. The idea for I Love LA originated—to some extent—from her own, originally rocky, transition to LA and from her cosmic event, a much-talked-about occurrence for followers. This represented a time that involved her understand some big life lessons, in her career and individually. “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…”
Early Beginnings
Growing up in New England, Sennott started developing and showcasing 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. 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?”
She seized control, taking the stage at open mics with Ayo and posting uproarious (and decidedly) bizarre skits online. One, Baby Cult, centered on a group of women intensely obsessed with motherhood; another envisioned being employed at the brand Hollister as like being caught in a thriller. By chance, she met Emma through campus film circles and ended up featuring in her initial project, Shiva Baby, a tense film set at a religious event with hints of the intense thriller. The central motif of her path, she explains, has been people her own age offering opportunities, instead of traditional networks. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, stating with a laugh: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Manifesting Dreams
Those who were skeptical regarding her then will surely be kicking themselves now. As part of she labels a “incredibly circular” story, she appears to achieved her dream vehicle. Previously she shared a clip titled on LA life on the internet, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Years later, she’s a lead creator (with the co-writer) of a show about city dwellers balancing the perks of online celebrity (such as socializing at a celebrity’s house) with its pitfalls (your associate being accused of being a drug-addled thief, and perhaps becoming a unreliable outcast). Some could simple to produce a show about digital influence that was extremely aspirational—or, worse, one that punched down at those depicted. The series steers clear of each, creating a portrait of advantaged millennial living that’s honest about the chaos and the glamour.
Nuanced Portrayal
“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” 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
