The star enters the online meeting and at once launches into an excuse. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, appearing genuinely remorseful. She is only slightly behind, she feels compelled to justify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Luckily, for a writer, this is precisely what you want to hear. Moreover, it’s fairly predictable. Viewers familiar with her boldly LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass project Bottoms—that she penned with her creative partner and featured in alongside close companion the talented actress—will already know that Sennott possesses plenty to say, ranging from on identity, relationships, or the merits of forming a teen brawl society. And, after watching her recent eight-part HBO series I Love LA, it is clear that the star holds even more thoughts about the struggles of young adulthood (Now in her thirties, she is a bridge for this generation, a tale-end millennial adept for straddling different age groups).
Guiding Lights and Artistic Direction
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show are inevitable and Sennott is enthusiastic, naming the show in addition to Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as influences for I Love LA, which follows the travails of an influencer Tallulah and ally and aspiring representative Maia. However, the most significant influence on the moodboard was reserved for the popular sitcom, that program depicting a rising Hollywood star navigating in a gritty LA scene (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott began viewing it throughout lockdown, became “obsessed”, and chose to put her own twist 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 says. The idea for this project emerged—to some extent—from her own, originally rocky, transition to Tinseltown and from the cosmic event, a frequently discussed phenomenon for followers. That period marked a phase that saw her understand significant insights, professionally and individually. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” 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
Brought up in New England, Sennott began creating and acting humor while studying performance at a prestigious arts school. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she says. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “None of the university plays cast me either.” And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She decided to act independently, performing at live shows with Ayo and posting hysterical (and distinctly) weird comedy videos digitally. A particular video, Baby Cult, followed characters obsessively drawn to having babies; a different one envisioned working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being stuck in a horror film. By chance, she met Seligman through the university’s film scene and eventually appearing in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful film set at a religious event with hints of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her path, she says, has been people her own age supporting her, as opposed to established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she repeats, stating humorously: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Rising Success
Individuals who had doubts about her previously will likely be feeling foolish today. Through she describes as a “astonishingly complete” development, she has created an ideal role. In 2019 she shared a clip called “it’s LA” online, in which she parodied movie previews (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a series about Angelenos balancing the perks of internet fame (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with drawbacks (your associate being suspected of being a intoxicated criminal, and possibly becoming a risky pariah). One might tempting to produce a show about digital influence that was horribly aspirational—or, even less favorable, one that belittled at the characters. I Love LA does neither, making for a portrait of privileged twentysomething existence that’s frank about the grot and the appeal.
Empathetic Approach
“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
