The actress and writer on her hilarious comedy portraying the chaotic allure of younger generation life
The performer enters the online meeting and immediately starts an excuse. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, seeming truly regretful. Despite being only a bit behind, she feels compelled to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Luckily, during an interview, this is exactly what one hopes to experience. Additionally, it’s fairly predictable. Viewers familiar with the unapologetically openly gay and unapologetically crass movie Bottoms—which Sennott penned with her creative partner and appeared in with collaborator Ayo Edebiri—can already know that she possesses plenty to discuss, whether about roles, sex, or the merits of starting a youth brawl society. Plus, after watching her new eight-part program I Love LA, it is clear that she has additional perspectives on the challenges of Gen Z life (At 30, Sennott serves as a bridge of the gang, on the cusp skilled for connecting millennials and Gen Z).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls are inevitable and Sennott admits to being an admirer, citing the show in addition to the classic series, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as influences for her series, which details the journey of a social media star Tallulah and close companion and aspiring talent manager Sennott’s character. However, the biggest presence on creative vision went to the popular sitcom, that show focusing on an emerging celebrity navigating in an often-seedy LA scene (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She discovered it amid lockdown, became “captivated”, and decided to create a new version 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 I Love LA emerged—to some extent—from personal, initially rocky, move to Los Angeles and from the cosmic event, a much-talked-about occurrence for astrology heads. This represented an era that included her understand major life lessons, professionally and individually. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she recalls. “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
Raised in Connecticut, the star commenced developing and showcasing stand-up while pursuing acting at a prestigious arts school. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” 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, appearing at live shows with Ayo and uploading hilarious (and decidedly) weird skits on the internet. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, followed characters intensely fixated on having babies; a different one imagined working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being trapped in a thriller. Interestingly, she encountered Emma through NYU’s movie community and ended up starring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a Jewish wake with hints of the intense thriller. The big theme of her career, she explains, has been people her own age offering opportunities, instead of the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, stating amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”
Career Breakthrough
Those who were skeptical about Sennott previously will surely be feeling foolish today. In what she labels a “wild, full-circle” story, she appears to created an ideal role. A few years back she posted a clip called on LA life on the internet, in which she mocked film promos (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a series about Angelenos juggling the perks of digital stardom (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your associate being accused of being a drug-addled stealer, and possibly becoming a unreliable persona non grata). Some could tempting to produce a show about online fame that was horribly glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that mocked at its subjects. The series steers clear of each, creating a portrait of affluent twentysomething living that’s candid about the mess and the glamour.
Balanced Perspective
“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” she comments. “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
