The performer appears on the video call and right away starts an apology. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, seeming truly remorseful. Although she's only a bit late, she feels compelled to clarify. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Luckily, for a writer, this is precisely what you want to experience. Additionally, it’s fairly predictable. Those who have seen her unapologetically queer and outspoken film titled Bottoms—that Sennott co-wrote with Emma Seligman and featured in alongside collaborator Ayo Edebiri—would already know that Sennott holds plenty to discuss, ranging from about gender, relationships, or the merits of forming a youth brawl society. And, after watching the latest seasonal HBO series I Love LA, it is clear that she holds further insights about the darker side of Gen Z life (Now in her thirties, she serves as an honorary member of the gang, a tale-end millennial skilled for bridging millennials and Gen Z).
Guiding Lights and Creative Vision
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show are inevitable and the actress admits to being an admirer, naming it in addition to Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and the innovative program as inspirations for the project, which tracks the journey of online personality Tallulah and her friend who is also fledgling representative Sennott’s character. Notably, the most significant presence on creative vision went to the HBO series, that HBO sitcom about a rising A-list actor navigating in a gritty entertainment industry (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She started watching it amid the pandemic, became “captivated”, and resolved to add a fresh perspective 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 explains. The idea for I Love LA emerged—to some extent—from firsthand, originally fractious, move to LA and from her cosmic event, a frequently discussed event for astrology heads. This represented an era that saw her learn significant life lessons, in her career and individually. “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
Raised in the East Coast, Sennott began creating and acting humor while pursuing acting at a prestigious arts school. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she states. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “None of the university plays cast me either.” “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
Sennott decided to act independently, appearing at open mics with Ayo and uploading hilarious (and distinctly) bizarre online content online. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, followed characters intensely fixated on having babies; another portrayed being employed at the brand Hollister as like being trapped in a horror film. By chance, she connected with Emma through campus film circles and ultimately appearing in her first film, Shiva Baby, a stressful film set at a religious event with hints of the intense thriller. The central motif of her path, she explains, has been peers offering opportunities, as opposed to the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she confirms, continuing amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”
Manifesting Dreams
Those who were skeptical about Sennott earlier will likely be feeling foolish today. In what she describes as a “astonishingly complete” story, she appears to created the perfect project. In 2019 she shared content titled about Los Angeles on social media, in which she lampooned film promos (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Years later, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a show about Angelenos managing the perks of internet fame (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with drawbacks (your associate being labeled as being a substance-abusing stealer, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” pariah). It would be easy to create a series about digital influence that was overly aspirational—or, worse, one that mocked at its subjects. The series steers clear of each, creating a portrait of privileged twentysomething living that’s candid about the grot and the appeal.
Balanced Perspective
“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
