The performer joins the video call and at once begins an apology. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she states, seeming truly remorseful. She is only a bit delayed, she needs to justify. “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, in this context, that’s exactly what you want to encounter. Additionally, it’s pretty predictable. Those familiar with her boldly LGBTQ+ and outspoken movie Bottoms—that she co-wrote with the director and starred in with close companion Ayo Edebiri—would already know that she possesses much to discuss, be it about roles, intimacy, or the merits of forming a teen fight club. Furthermore, once you finish her new multi-episode program titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star has additional insights regarding the struggles of Gen Z life (At 30, Sennott is a relatable figure to younger audiences, on the cusp adept for straddling different age groups).
Guiding Lights and Creative Vision
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s Girls can’t be avoided and the actress admits to being enthusiastic, citing the show in addition to Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and Donald Glover’s series as influences for I Love LA, which follows the travails of a social media star Tallulah and her friend who is also aspiring representative Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the most significant influence on the moodboard was reserved for the HBO series, that program about a rising A-list actor navigating in a gritty LA scene (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She began viewing it amid the pandemic, became “captivated”, and decided to add a fresh perspective on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she explains. The idea for this project originated—partly—from personal, initially rocky, transition to LA and from the saturn return, a frequently discussed occurrence for astrology heads. This represented a phase that saw her understand significant truths, professionally and individually. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” 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 was almost like these biblical tests …”
Humble Origins
Brought up in New England, Sennott commenced creating and acting comedy while studying performance at a prestigious arts school. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she states. “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 seized control, taking the stage at live shows with her friend and sharing hysterical (and decidedly) bizarre comedy videos digitally. A particular video, Baby Cult, centered on several females fetishistically fixated on having babies; a different one imagined working at the brand Hollister as like being stuck in a horror film. In a neat twist of fate, she encountered Seligman through NYU’s movie community and eventually featuring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a religious event with hints of the Safdie brothers’ movie. A recurring idea of her path, she notes, has been peers supporting her, rather than the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she emphasizes, continuing amusedly: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Rising Success
Individuals who were skeptical regarding her then will surely be regretting it currently. In what she labels a “wild, full-circle” development, she has created an ideal role. A few years back she posted a video named “it’s LA” online, in which she parodied movie previews (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with the co-writer) of a show about Angelenos juggling advantages of online celebrity (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being accused of being a intoxicated thief, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). Some could easy to create a show about online fame that was extremely aspirational—or, more problematic, one that mocked at the characters. This show steers clear of each, creating a depiction of affluent young adult existence that’s frank about the mess and the shine.
Nuanced Portrayal
“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
