The star enters the online meeting and right away launches into an excuse. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she states, sounding genuinely remorseful. She is only a couple of minutes late, she wants to justify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Fortunately, during an interview, that’s just what one hopes to experience. Besides, it’s quite predictable. Viewers familiar with the unapologetically queer and outspoken movie titled Bottoms—that Sennott co-wrote with the director and starred in alongside her friend the talented actress—will already know that Sennott possesses much to share, whether about identity, relationships, or the appeal of starting a youth brawl society. Furthermore, by the end the latest seasonal HBO series titled I Love LA, it is clear that the star carries further perspectives regarding the challenges of modern youth (As a millennial, she serves as an honorary member to younger audiences, on the cusp skilled for bridging different age groups).
Influences and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and Sennott readily acknowledges an admirer, referencing the show in addition to the classic series, Insecure and Atlanta as influences for I Love LA, which details the struggles of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend who is also new representative Maia. However, the biggest influence on concept was reserved for the popular sitcom, that program about an up-and-coming A-list actor making his way in a corrupt LA scene (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott discovered it during lockdown, became “obsessed”, and resolved to add a fresh perspective 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 says. The concept for I Love LA originated—in part—from personal, at first rocky, move to LA and from her cosmic event, a frequently discussed event for enthusiasts. That period marked an era that saw her understand 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. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Starting Out
Raised in Connecticut, the star began writing and performing comedy while studying performance at a prestigious arts school. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she states. “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. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, performing at live shows with Edebiri and sharing hilarious (and very) weird online content online. A particular video, Baby Cult, followed a group of women intensely drawn to having babies; a different one portrayed working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being trapped in a scary movie. By chance, she connected with Seligman through the university’s film scene and eventually starring in her initial project, Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a funeral gathering with hints of Uncut Gems. A recurring idea of her path, she notes, has been peers supporting her, rather than the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, adding humorously: “They don’t want us to win.”
Career Breakthrough
Individuals who were skeptical about Sennott earlier will likely be regretting it currently. In what she calls a “wild, full-circle” development, she seems to have created her dream vehicle. Previously she posted content titled about Los Angeles online, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with her partner) of a comedy about Angelenos balancing the perks of internet fame (such as socializing at a famous actor’s house) with downsides (your client being labeled as being a intoxicated thief, and potentially becoming a unreliable outcast). It would be tempting to produce a series about internet celebrity that was horribly aspirational—or, worse, one that punched down at the characters. I Love LA does neither, making for a depiction of advantaged young adult existence that’s frank about the mess and the appeal.
Empathetic Approach
“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