The star enters the online meeting and right away starts an apology. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, sounding really regretful. Despite being only a bit delayed, she needs 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!” Luckily, during an interview, that’s precisely what one hopes to hear. Besides, it’s pretty expected. Those who have seen the fearlessly LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass film titled Bottoms—which Sennott co-wrote with her creative partner and starred in together with collaborator the talented actress—would be aware that Sennott holds much to say, ranging from about roles, intimacy, or the appeal of forming a teen fight club. Furthermore, after watching the recent multi-episode program I Love LA, viewers realize that the star has additional perspectives on the challenges of modern youth (Now in her thirties, she represents a bridge to younger audiences, a tale-end millennial with a knack for bridging millennials and Gen Z).
Influences and Storytelling Approach
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls are inevitable and the actress readily acknowledges an admirer, naming the show together with the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as inspirations for the project, which tracks the struggles of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion who is also aspiring agent Sennott’s character. Notably, the biggest spot on the moodboard was reserved for Entourage, the program depicting an up-and-coming celebrity making his way in a gritty Hollywood (memorable line: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott discovered it during lockdown, became “obsessed”, and decided to add a fresh perspective on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she explains. The inspiration for the series emerged—in part—from firsthand, at first difficult, relocation to LA and from her cosmic event, a frequently discussed occurrence for enthusiasts. This represented a time that involved her understand major life lessons, work-wise and individually. “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…”
Humble Origins
Growing up in New England, the star began writing and performing stand-up while studying theatre at NYU’s Tisch. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she says. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “None of the university plays cast me either.” “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, appearing at open mics with Ayo and sharing uproarious (and distinctly) bizarre skits online. A particular video, Baby Cult, depicted a group of women fetishistically drawn to motherhood; a different one imagined working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being trapped in a thriller. In a neat twist of fate, she encountered Seligman through campus film circles and eventually featuring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a Jewish wake with echoes of the intense thriller. The big theme of her career, she says, has been peers offering opportunities, instead of traditional networks. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, adding with a laugh: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Rising Success
Anyone who questioned about Sennott then will surely be feeling foolish today. As part of she describes as a “incredibly circular” story, she seems to have achieved the perfect project. In 2019 she posted content called about Los Angeles on the internet, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a show about LA residents managing the perks of internet fame (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being accused of being a substance-abusing stealer, and perhaps becoming a unreliable pariah). One might simple to produce a show about internet celebrity that was horribly glamorous—or, more problematic, one that mocked at the characters. I Love LA avoids both, resulting in a portrait of advantaged twentysomething life that’s candid about the grot and the shine.
Balanced Perspective
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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
