The performer appears on the online meeting and immediately launches into an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, seeming really remorseful. Despite being only a bit delayed, she needs to clarify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, for a writer, that’s precisely what you want to experience. Moreover, it’s quite unsurprising. Anyone familiar with the fearlessly LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass movie titled Bottoms—which she penned with the director and starred in with collaborator the talented actress—can already know that she possesses a lot to share, whether about gender, intimacy, or the merits of creating a high-school fight club. Plus, by the end her recent eight-part program I Love LA, viewers realize that the star has even more perspectives on the struggles of young adulthood (As a millennial, Sennott serves as a bridge for this generation, straddling eras with a knack for straddling different age groups).
Guiding Lights and Creative Vision
Parallels to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and the actress admits to being a fan, referencing the show in addition to the classic series, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as inspirations for the project, which follows the journey of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion and fledgling agent portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the most significant presence on the moodboard was reserved for Entourage, that show focusing on an emerging A-list actor succeeding in a gritty entertainment industry (memorable line: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She started watching it during the pandemic, became “captivated”, and decided to create a new version on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she explains. The idea for the series emerged—in part—from firsthand, at first fractious, transition to LA and from her cosmic event, a frequently discussed occurrence for enthusiasts. That period marked an era that included her learn major life lessons, professionally and individually. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she says. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Starting Out
Brought up in Connecticut, the star began creating and acting comedy while studying acting at a prestigious arts school. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she explains. “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 took matters into her own hands, performing at live shows with her friend and uploading hilarious (and distinctly) unconventional comedy videos digitally. One, Baby Cult, depicted characters intensely obsessed with motherhood; a different one portrayed being employed at the brand Hollister as similar to being stuck in a thriller. Interestingly, she connected with Seligman through NYU’s movie community and eventually featuring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a religious event with shades of the Safdie brothers’ movie. A recurring idea of her path, she notes, has been people her own age supporting her, rather than the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Not the gatekeepers”, she repeats, stating humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Those who questioned about Sennott previously will certainly be kicking themselves currently. In what she labels a “incredibly circular” turn of events, she has achieved an ideal role. In 2019 she shared a clip called “it’s LA” on social media, in which she parodied film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with her partner) of a show about LA residents balancing the perks of online celebrity (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being labeled as being a intoxicated thief, and perhaps becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). It would be easy to make a program about internet celebrity that was horribly idealized—or, worse, one that belittled at its subjects. I Love LA does neither, resulting in a portrait of privileged twentysomething life that’s honest about the chaos and the glamour.
Balanced Perspective
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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
