The performer appears on the video call and immediately begins an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, seeming genuinely regretful. Although she's only a bit late, she feels compelled to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Fortunately, in this context, this is precisely what one hopes to hear. Additionally, it’s quite expected. Viewers who know the boldly openly gay and brash movie titled Bottoms—which Sennott penned with Emma Seligman and featured in together with her friend Ayo Edebiri—would be aware that she has a lot to share, whether on gender, sex, or the appeal of starting a youth combat group. Furthermore, by the end her recent eight-part program I Love LA, viewers realize that the star holds further thoughts about the darker side of young adulthood (Now in her thirties, she serves as a relatable figure for this generation, a tale-end millennial skilled for straddling different age groups).
Inspirations and Storytelling Approach
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and Sennott is enthusiastic, referencing the show alongside the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and Donald Glover’s series as influences for I Love LA, which tracks the struggles of online personality Tallulah and close companion and new talent manager Maia. Perhaps, the most significant spot on the moodboard was reserved for Entourage, the program about an emerging Hollywood star navigating in an often-seedy LA scene (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She discovered it throughout COVID-19, became “captivated”, and decided to add a fresh perspective on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she notes. The concept for the series originated—partly—from personal, initially difficult, transition to LA and from the cosmic event, a popular phenomenon for enthusiasts. That period marked a time that saw her grasp major insights, in her career and in private life. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she recalls. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Humble Origins
Growing up in the East Coast, Sennott began developing and showcasing comedy while pursuing acting at a prestigious arts school. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” 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?”
She decided to act independently, appearing at live shows with Ayo and posting uproarious (and decidedly) weird online content on the internet. One, titled Baby Cult, depicted characters intensely drawn to motherhood; another portrayed being employed at a trendy retail outlet as akin to being stuck in a thriller. By chance, she encountered Seligman through NYU’s movie community and eventually featuring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a religious event with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her journey, she explains, has been people her own age giving her a shot, as opposed to traditional networks. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, adding amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Individuals who were skeptical about her earlier will certainly be feeling foolish today. In what she calls a “wild, full-circle” development, she seems to have achieved an ideal role. A few years back she shared a clip titled about Los Angeles on the internet, in which she parodied Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about LA residents juggling benefits of digital stardom (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your friend being accused of being a intoxicated thief, and perhaps becoming a unreliable outcast). It would be simple to make a series about digital influence that was horribly idealized—or, worse, one that punched down at those depicted. This show steers clear of each, creating a representation of affluent millennial existence 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
