The star enters the online meeting and right away starts an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she states, seeming really remorseful. Despite being only a couple of minutes delayed, she wants 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!” Fortunately, during an interview, that’s just what you want to encounter. Moreover, it’s pretty unsurprising. Anyone who have seen her boldly queer and unapologetically crass film Bottoms—which she penned with the director and appeared in together with close companion Ayo Edebiri—would already know that Sennott has much to say, whether about gender, sex, or the merits of creating a teen fight club. And, by the end the new multi-episode program titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star has even more thoughts on the challenges of young adulthood (At 30, Sennott is an honorary member of the gang, straddling eras with a knack for straddling both generations).
Influences and Artistic Direction
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s Girls can’t be avoided and the actress is an admirer, naming it together with the classic series, Insecure and the innovative program as guides for her series, which follows the travails of an influencer Tallulah and ally who is also new representative portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the biggest spot on concept was reserved for the popular sitcom, that show about a rising A-list actor making his way in a corrupt LA scene (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott discovered it amid COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and chose to put her own twist on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she explains. The inspiration for I Love LA came—to some extent—from firsthand, initially difficult, transition to Tinseltown and from the astrological phase, a popular phenomenon for astrology heads. That period marked a phase that included her learn major insights, professionally and individually. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she admits. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Starting Out
Raised in the East Coast, Sennott started creating and acting comedy while studying acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she says. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “None of the university plays cast me either.” “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
Sennott decided to act independently, appearing at open mics with Ayo and uploading hilarious (and decidedly) unconventional skits on the internet. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, centered on a group of women obsessively drawn to having babies; another envisioned working at the brand Hollister as similar to being caught in a thriller. By chance, she connected with Emma through campus film circles and eventually featuring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, a tense comedy set at a religious event with hints of Uncut Gems. A recurring idea of her journey, she explains, has been peers offering opportunities, rather than the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she repeats, adding amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Rising Success
Those who were skeptical regarding her earlier will surely be regretting it currently. Through she calls a “astonishingly complete” turn of events, she seems to have achieved the perfect project. A few years back she uploaded a video titled “it’s LA” on social media, in which she lampooned film promos (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about LA residents managing the perks of online celebrity (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being suspected of being a substance-abusing criminal, and potentially becoming a risky outcast). One might simple to produce a series about online fame that was extremely aspirational—or, worse, one that punched down at those depicted. This show avoids both, resulting in a representation of privileged millennial living that’s frank about the mess and the glamour.
Empathetic Approach
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” she says. “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
