The performer appears on the digital interview and immediately begins an excuse. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she states, appearing genuinely regretful. Although she's only a couple of minutes delayed, she feels compelled to clarify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Fortunately, during an interview, that’s exactly what is ideal to hear. Additionally, it’s quite unsurprising. Viewers who have seen the fearlessly queer and brash movie Bottoms—that Sennott penned with the director and appeared in with close companion the talented actress—can understand that Sennott holds plenty to discuss, be it about identity, sex, or the pros of forming a teen brawl society. Plus, after watching her new seasonal HBO series I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star has even more insights about the challenges of Gen Z life (At 30, Sennott is a bridge of the gang, straddling eras adept for straddling millennials and Gen Z).
Inspirations and Storytelling Approach
Likenesses to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and Sennott admits to being an admirer, citing it in addition to the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as inspirations for I Love LA, which details the struggles of a social media star Tallulah and ally and new agent portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the largest presence on concept was reserved for the HBO series, that show depicting an emerging A-list actor succeeding in a gritty Hollywood (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott began viewing it during lockdown, became “captivated”, and chose to put her own twist on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she notes. The inspiration for this project originated—to some extent—from firsthand, at first fractious, transition to Tinseltown and from the saturn return, a popular phenomenon for followers. It was a phase that included her grasp significant life lessons, work-wise and personally. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” 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, the star started developing and showcasing comedy while studying performance at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she says. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
She took matters into her own hands, appearing at open mics with Ayo and uploading uproarious (and distinctly) bizarre skits on the internet. One, Baby Cult, followed characters intensely obsessed with having babies; a different one envisioned being employed at the brand Hollister as similar to being caught in a horror film. Interestingly, she met Emma through campus film circles and eventually featuring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful film set at a funeral gathering with echoes of the intense thriller. The big theme of her path, she notes, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, rather than established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she repeats, continuing with a laugh: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Rising Success
Individuals who were skeptical regarding Sennott earlier will surely be kicking themselves today. In what she describes as a “wild, full-circle” story, she has achieved her dream vehicle. Previously she uploaded a video called “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she parodied film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Years later, she’s a lead creator (with Emma Barrie) of a show about LA residents managing the perks of internet fame (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with drawbacks (your friend being accused of being a substance-abusing criminal, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). It would be simple to make a program about internet celebrity that was horribly aspirational—or, more problematic, one that mocked at the characters. The series avoids both, resulting in a representation of affluent young adult living that’s frank about the grot and the glamour.
Nuanced Portrayal
“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” 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
