The star joins the online meeting and at once launches into an excuse. “Apologies for the delay!” she says, sounding really apologetic. Despite being only a bit late, she feels compelled to clarify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Thankfully, during an interview, that’s just what one hopes to hear. Additionally, it’s quite predictable. Anyone who have seen her fearlessly queer and outspoken film Bottoms—that she collaborated on with the director and appeared in together with her friend Ayo Edebiri—will be aware that Sennott holds plenty to share, whether on gender, relationships, or the appeal of creating a teen brawl society. And, after watching the new eight-part show I Love LA, it is clear that she has further thoughts about the struggles of young adulthood (As a millennial, Sennott represents a relatable figure to younger audiences, on the cusp with a knack for straddling different age groups).
Influences and Storytelling Approach
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and the actress readily acknowledges an admirer, naming the show together with the classic series, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as influences for I Love LA, which details the struggles of an influencer Tallulah and her friend who is also aspiring representative Maia. Perhaps, the largest presence on concept went to the popular sitcom, that program about a rising celebrity making his way in a corrupt LA scene (choice quote: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott started watching it amid lockdown, became “obsessed”, and decided to create a new version on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she notes. The concept for this project originated—in part—from firsthand, at first difficult, move to LA and from her astrological phase, a frequently discussed event for followers. This represented an era that saw her learn major insights, professionally and personally. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she admits. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Early Beginnings
Growing up in Connecticut, Sennott started creating and acting stand-up while pursuing performance at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she explains. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
She decided to act independently, appearing at amateur nights with Ayo and sharing hilarious (and very) bizarre skits digitally. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, centered on several females fetishistically obsessed with motherhood; a different one portrayed being employed at the brand Hollister as similar to being trapped in a horror film. By chance, she connected with Seligman through the university’s film scene and ultimately starring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a funeral gathering with echoes of the intense thriller. The big theme of her path, she says, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, as opposed to the industry at large. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, continuing humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Those who had doubts regarding Sennott then will certainly be kicking themselves now. In what she describes as a “astonishingly complete” story, she seems to have manifested her dream vehicle. Previously she uploaded content titled on LA life on the internet, in which she lampooned film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s a lead creator (with the co-writer) of a series about city dwellers managing the perks of online celebrity (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your client being suspected of being a intoxicated stealer, and possibly becoming a unreliable persona non grata). Some could tempting to make a series about digital influence that was horribly idealized—or, even less favorable, one that belittled at the characters. The series does neither, making for a depiction of privileged young adult life that’s frank about the mess and the glamour.
Balanced Perspective
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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
