The performer joins the digital interview and right away starts an apology. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, appearing truly regretful. Although she's only a couple of minutes late, she needs to clarify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Fortunately, in this context, that’s precisely what you want to experience. Moreover, it’s fairly expected. Those familiar with her unapologetically openly gay and outspoken project Bottoms—which Sennott co-wrote with Emma Seligman and featured in together with collaborator the talented actress—can already know that Sennott possesses a lot to say, be it on roles, intimacy, or the pros of creating a youth combat group. Plus, after watching the latest eight-part show titled I Love LA, it is clear that she carries further insights regarding the challenges of modern youth (As a millennial, Sennott serves as a bridge for this generation, on the cusp with a knack for bridging both generations).
Guiding Lights and Artistic Direction
Parallels to the iconic series Girls can’t be avoided and the actress admits to being enthusiastic, citing it in addition to the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and Donald Glover’s series as guides for her series, which follows the struggles of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and ally and new talent manager Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the biggest influence on creative vision went to the HBO series, the show depicting an up-and-coming Hollywood star making his way in an often-seedy entertainment industry (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott started watching it throughout the pandemic, became “captivated”, and chose to put her own twist on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she notes. The idea for the series came—to some extent—from firsthand, initially difficult, transition to LA and from the cosmic event, a much-talked-about occurrence for followers. That period marked a time that involved her understand major life lessons, work-wise and personally. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she says. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Humble Origins
Brought up in Connecticut, Sennott started creating and acting comedy while studying theatre at a prestigious arts school. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she says. “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 seized control, performing at amateur nights with Edebiri and posting hilarious (and decidedly) bizarre comedy videos on the internet. One, Baby Cult, depicted several females fetishistically drawn to having babies; a different one portrayed working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being caught in a thriller. Interestingly, she met Emma through the university’s film scene and ultimately featuring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a funeral gathering with hints of Uncut Gems. A recurring idea of her journey, she notes, has been contemporaries supporting her, rather than traditional networks. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “They were not involved”, she confirms, continuing amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”
Rising Success
Those who had doubts about Sennott previously will likely be feeling foolish now. Through she describes as a “astonishingly complete” turn of events, she seems to have created the perfect project. Previously she posted a video titled “it’s LA” online, in which she parodied film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with the co-writer) of a series about city dwellers balancing advantages of online celebrity (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your client being suspected of being a substance-abusing criminal, and possibly becoming a unreliable pariah). Some could easy to produce a series about internet celebrity that was horribly aspirational—or, worse, one that punched down at its subjects. I Love LA avoids both, making for a portrait of privileged millennial life that’s frank about the mess and the glamour.
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
