The performer appears on the digital interview and immediately starts an explanation. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, seeming really apologetic. Despite being only a couple of minutes late, she wants 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!” Fortunately, in this context, that’s precisely what one hopes to encounter. Moreover, it’s quite predictable. Anyone who have seen her fearlessly openly gay and outspoken project Bottoms—which Sennott co-wrote with Emma Seligman and appeared in alongside her friend the talented actress—would be aware that Sennott has much to discuss, ranging from about gender, relationships, or the pros of starting a teen fight club. And, after watching her latest seasonal HBO series titled I Love LA, it is clear that she has further thoughts on the struggles of modern youth (At 30, she is a bridge to younger audiences, straddling eras with a knack for bridging both generations).
Influences and Artistic Direction
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s Girls are inevitable and the actress readily acknowledges an admirer, referencing the show alongside the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as guides for the project, which follows the struggles of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion and aspiring talent manager portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the biggest spot on the moodboard belonged to the HBO series, the HBO sitcom depicting an up-and-coming Hollywood star navigating in an often-seedy LA scene (memorable line: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott discovered it throughout lockdown, became “hooked”, and resolved to put her own twist 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 concept for this project emerged—in part—from firsthand, at first difficult, transition to Tinseltown and from her cosmic event, a frequently discussed event for followers. It was an era that saw her grasp significant life lessons, in her career 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. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Early Beginnings
Brought up in the East Coast, the star commenced developing and showcasing stand-up while enrolled in performance at NYU’s Tisch. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she says. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “None of the university plays cast me either.” “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
She decided to act independently, performing at open mics with Edebiri and uploading hysterical (and very) weird online content on the internet. A particular video, Baby Cult, followed several females fetishistically obsessed with having babies; a different one envisioned working at a trendy retail outlet as similar to being stuck in a scary movie. By chance, she connected with Seligman through NYU’s movie community and ultimately starring in her initial project, Shiva Baby, a tense film set at a funeral gathering with shades of Uncut Gems. The central motif of her career, she says, has been people her own age supporting her, as opposed to the industry at large. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, adding with a laugh: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Manifesting Dreams
Those who questioned about Sennott earlier will certainly be feeling foolish today. Through she calls a “astonishingly complete” development, she has created her dream vehicle. Previously she uploaded a video titled about Los Angeles online, in which she parodied movie previews (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Six years on, she’s a lead creator (with the co-writer) of a series about Angelenos balancing benefits of online celebrity (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your associate being accused of being a intoxicated stealer, and potentially becoming a risky outcast). Some could simple to create a show about digital influence that was overly glamorous—or, more problematic, one that mocked at the characters. I Love LA steers clear of each, creating a representation of affluent twentysomething life that’s honest about the grot and the shine.
Nuanced Portrayal
“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
