The star joins the online meeting and immediately begins an apology. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, seeming really apologetic. Despite being only a couple of minutes late, she wants to justify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Fortunately, in this context, this is just what you want to experience. Additionally, it’s fairly unsurprising. Viewers familiar with the boldly queer and unapologetically crass film titled Bottoms—that Sennott collaborated on with Emma Seligman and featured in alongside close companion the talented actress—can already know that Sennott holds much to share, be it on roles, sex, or the merits of creating a high-school combat group. And, once you finish the new seasonal HBO series titled I Love LA, it is clear that the star holds additional perspectives on the challenges of young adulthood (As a millennial, Sennott serves as an honorary member for this generation, on the cusp adept for connecting both generations).
Guiding Lights and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to the iconic series Girls can’t be avoided and the actress is enthusiastic, naming it together with Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as inspirations for I Love LA, which tracks the struggles of an influencer Tallulah and ally who is also fledgling representative Maia. However, the largest spot on creative vision belonged to the HBO series, the program depicting an up-and-coming Hollywood star making his way in a gritty LA scene (choice quote: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott began viewing it amid lockdown, became “obsessed”, and resolved to create a new version 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 this project emerged—partly—from personal, at first rocky, relocation to Tinseltown and from the saturn return, a frequently discussed phenomenon for followers. This represented an era that saw her learn major truths, in her career and in private life. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she says. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Starting Out
Raised in Connecticut, the star began creating and acting stand-up while studying performance at NYU’s Tisch. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she states. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, appearing at open mics with Ayo and posting hilarious (and distinctly) unconventional comedy videos digitally. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, centered on a group of women fetishistically fixated on pregnancy; a different one envisioned working at the brand Hollister as similar to being stuck in a thriller. By chance, she met Emma through NYU’s movie community and ended up starring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a funeral gathering with hints of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her path, she says, has been people her own age supporting her, rather than traditional networks. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “They were not involved”, she confirms, continuing amusedly: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Rising Success
Those who were skeptical regarding Sennott earlier will likely be kicking themselves today. Through she describes as a “wild, full-circle” development, she has manifested the perfect project. Previously she shared content titled “it’s LA” on social media, in which she parodied movie previews (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a series about Angelenos balancing advantages of internet fame (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with downsides (your friend being labeled as being a intoxicated thief, and potentially becoming a unreliable persona non grata). Some could tempting to make a series about online fame that was extremely glamorous—or, worse, one that belittled at those depicted. This show does neither, creating a representation of advantaged young adult living that’s frank about the mess and the shine.
Empathetic Approach
“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” 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
