The star enters the video call and immediately begins an apology. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, appearing genuinely apologetic. Despite being only slightly behind, she feels compelled to justify. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, in this context, that’s just what you want to encounter. Besides, it’s quite unsurprising. Those who know the fearlessly queer and brash movie titled Bottoms—that she penned with her creative partner and starred in together with her friend The Bear’s standout—would understand that Sennott holds plenty to share, be it about roles, relationships, or the merits of creating a youth brawl society. And, once you finish her new eight-part HBO series I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she has additional thoughts about the struggles of modern youth (As a millennial, Sennott represents an honorary member to younger audiences, on the cusp skilled for bridging both generations).
Influences and Creative Vision
Parallels to the iconic series Girls can’t be avoided and Sennott readily acknowledges an admirer, citing the show in addition to Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as inspirations for I Love LA, which details the struggles of online personality Tallulah and her friend and new representative portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the most significant presence on creative vision went to the popular sitcom, the HBO sitcom focusing on a rising A-list actor navigating in an often-seedy LA scene (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott began viewing it during COVID-19, became “captivated”, and decided to put her own twist 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 says. The concept for I Love LA came—in part—from firsthand, initially difficult, move to Los Angeles and from the saturn return, a popular phenomenon for astrology heads. That period marked an era that included her understand 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 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
Brought up in New England, Sennott started developing and showcasing humor while pursuing performance at NYU’s Tisch. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she explains. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
Sennott decided to act independently, taking the stage at live shows with Edebiri and uploading uproarious (and distinctly) bizarre skits online. One, titled Baby Cult, depicted several females intensely obsessed with motherhood; a different one envisioned working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being caught in a scary movie. Interestingly, she connected with Seligman through the university’s film scene and eventually starring in her initial project, Shiva Baby, a stressful comedy set at a funeral gathering with hints of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her journey, she says, has been peers supporting her, as opposed to established gatekeepers. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, adding amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”
Manifesting Dreams
Individuals who had doubts regarding her previously will surely be regretting it currently. In what she describes as a “wild, full-circle” turn of events, she seems to have created an ideal role. A few years back she posted a clip titled “it’s LA” online, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a series about Angelenos balancing advantages of online celebrity (such as socializing at a celebrity’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being accused of being a drug-addled thief, and potentially becoming a risky outcast). Some could simple to produce a series about digital influence that was extremely aspirational—or, worse, one that punched down at its subjects. The series does neither, creating a depiction of advantaged millennial existence that’s frank about the mess and the appeal.
Balanced Perspective
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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
