The star enters the digital interview and right away launches into an apology. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, appearing truly apologetic. Although she's only slightly delayed, she feels compelled to clarify. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, for a writer, that’s exactly what is ideal to hear. Besides, it’s quite unsurprising. Those who have seen the boldly openly gay and brash movie titled Bottoms—which Sennott collaborated on with Emma Seligman and starred in alongside close companion Ayo Edebiri—can already know that she possesses much to discuss, ranging from about identity, sex, or the pros of starting a teen fight club. Furthermore, by the end the recent eight-part HBO series I Love LA, viewers realize that she has further insights regarding the struggles of young adulthood (As a millennial, Sennott serves as a relatable figure of the gang, a tale-end millennial adept for bridging both generations).
Guiding Lights and Storytelling Approach
Parallels to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and the actress readily acknowledges an admirer, citing it alongside the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as inspirations for I Love LA, which details the journey of an influencer Tallulah and ally who is also aspiring talent manager portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the largest presence on creative vision was reserved for the HBO series, the HBO sitcom about an emerging A-list actor navigating in a gritty Hollywood (memorable line: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott began viewing it during the pandemic, became “captivated”, and decided to put her own twist 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 inspiration for the series came—to some extent—from firsthand, initially difficult, transition to Los Angeles and from the astrological phase, a frequently discussed occurrence for astrology heads. It was a phase that included her grasp some big insights, professionally and in private life. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she recalls. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Humble Origins
Growing up in the East Coast, the star commenced writing and performing stand-up while pursuing acting at NYU’s Tisch. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she explains. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “None of the university plays cast me either.” And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She took matters into her own hands, performing at open mics with Edebiri and posting hysterical (and very) unconventional skits digitally. A particular video, Baby Cult, followed a group of women intensely obsessed with pregnancy; another imagined being employed at a trendy retail outlet as akin to being caught in a horror film. In a neat twist of fate, she connected with Seligman through NYU’s movie community and ultimately appearing in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a funeral gathering with shades of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her career, she notes, has been peers offering opportunities, as opposed to established gatekeepers. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Definitely not them”, she repeats, continuing humorously: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Career Breakthrough
Those who had doubts regarding Sennott then will surely be feeling foolish today. In what she calls a “astonishingly complete” turn of events, she has achieved her dream vehicle. In 2019 she uploaded a video titled about Los Angeles on social media, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a comedy about city dwellers managing benefits of internet fame (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being suspected of being a drug-addled thief, and possibly becoming a risky outcast). It would be easy to make a series about internet celebrity that was overly aspirational—or, worse, one that belittled at the characters. I Love LA does neither, making for a representation of affluent twentysomething life that’s candid about the mess and the shine.
Balanced Perspective
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” she observes. “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
