The star joins the online meeting and immediately launches into an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, seeming truly apologetic. Despite being only a bit late, she wants to clarify. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Thankfully, during an interview, that’s precisely what is ideal to experience. Additionally, it’s fairly unsurprising. Anyone who know the unapologetically queer and brash project titled Bottoms—that Sennott co-wrote with Emma Seligman and starred in alongside close companion The Bear’s standout—can already know that she holds plenty to discuss, ranging from about roles, sex, or the appeal of forming a youth combat group. Plus, after watching her latest seasonal show I Love LA, it is clear that she holds further perspectives regarding the struggles of modern youth (As a millennial, she serves as a bridge to younger audiences, on the cusp with a knack for connecting millennials and Gen Z).
Inspirations and Storytelling Approach
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s Girls can’t be avoided and the actress admits to being a fan, citing it together with Sex and the City, Insecure and the innovative program as influences for I Love LA, which tracks the journey of a social media star Tallulah and her friend who is also new representative Maia. However, the most significant presence on creative vision was reserved for Entourage, the HBO sitcom depicting an emerging A-list actor making his way in an often-seedy Hollywood (notable statement: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott started watching it throughout COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and resolved to put her own twist on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she notes. The idea for the series emerged—to some extent—from firsthand, initially rocky, move to LA and from the saturn return, a popular phenomenon for enthusiasts. That period marked a time that saw her grasp some big life lessons, professionally and personally. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she admits. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Starting Out
Growing up in New England, the star began creating and acting stand-up while studying performance at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she says. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “None of the university plays cast me either.” “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
She took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at amateur nights with her friend and uploading hysterical (and very) unconventional online content digitally. One, Baby Cult, depicted characters fetishistically obsessed with having babies; a different one portrayed working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being trapped in a horror film. In a neat twist of fate, she met Seligman through NYU’s movie community and eventually starring in her first film, Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a funeral gathering with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her journey, she explains, has been peers supporting her, rather than established gatekeepers. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, stating with a laugh: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Rising Success
Those who had doubts about her earlier will surely be feeling foolish today. As part of she calls a “incredibly circular” story, she seems to have achieved her dream vehicle. Previously she uploaded a video titled about Los Angeles online, in which she parodied movie previews (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a series about LA residents juggling benefits of digital stardom (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being suspected of being a intoxicated stealer, and potentially becoming a risky persona non grata). It would be simple to make a program about online fame that was horribly aspirational—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at its subjects. I Love LA avoids both, creating a depiction of affluent twentysomething life that’s candid about the grot and the appeal.
Balanced Perspective
“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
