The star appears on the online meeting and right away begins an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, seeming really apologetic. She is only slightly behind, she needs 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, that’s just what is ideal to hear. Moreover, it’s fairly expected. Anyone who know her fearlessly openly gay and brash project titled Bottoms—which she penned with Emma Seligman and starred in together with collaborator The Bear’s standout—will already know that she has a lot to say, ranging from on gender, sex, or the appeal of creating a teen combat group. And, by the end the latest multi-episode show titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she carries additional insights about the darker side of modern youth (As a millennial, Sennott is a bridge of the gang, straddling eras with a knack for straddling both generations).
Guiding Lights and Storytelling Approach
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and the actress is an admirer, naming the show in addition to Sex and the City, Insecure and the innovative program as inspirations for her series, which tracks the struggles of an influencer Tallulah and her friend and new agent portrayed by Sennott. However, the largest presence on the moodboard belonged to Entourage, that program focusing on an up-and-coming A-list actor succeeding in an often-seedy LA scene (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She discovered it during COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and decided to add a fresh perspective on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she explains. The inspiration for the series emerged—partly—from personal, originally difficult, transition to Los Angeles and from her saturn return, a popular occurrence for followers. It was a time that involved her grasp significant insights, work-wise 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
Growing up in New England, Sennott began creating and acting comedy while enrolled in performance at a prestigious arts school. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she explains. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, appearing at open mics with Edebiri and uploading hysterical (and distinctly) unconventional comedy videos on the internet. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, followed a group of women obsessively drawn to having babies; a different one envisioned working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being trapped in a horror film. Interestingly, she encountered Emma through campus film circles and ultimately appearing in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a Jewish wake with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The big theme of her career, she says, has been contemporaries offering opportunities, instead of traditional networks. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “They were not involved”, she repeats, stating with a laugh: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Manifesting Dreams
Those who questioned about Sennott previously will certainly be regretting it today. As part of she labels a “wild, full-circle” story, she has created an ideal role. Previously she uploaded a video named “it’s LA” on social media, in which she parodied Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Six years on, she’s a lead creator (with Emma Barrie) of a show about LA residents juggling the perks of internet fame (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with drawbacks (your client being accused of being a drug-addled stealer, and potentially becoming a unreliable persona non grata). Some could tempting to create a series about internet celebrity that was overly glamorous—or, more problematic, one that punched down at those depicted. This show steers clear of each, creating a portrait of affluent millennial life that’s frank about the mess and the appeal.
Nuanced Portrayal
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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
