The actress and writer on the uproarious show depicting the grotty glamour of younger generation life
The performer appears on the online meeting and right away launches into an excuse. “Apologies for the delay!” she says, appearing truly apologetic. Although she's only a couple of minutes behind, she wants to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Luckily, in this context, that’s precisely what you want to experience. Moreover, it’s fairly expected. Those who know her fearlessly LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass film Bottoms—which Sennott penned with Emma Seligman and appeared in together with her friend the talented actress—will already know that she possesses much to share, ranging from on roles, intimacy, or the pros of starting a high-school brawl society. Furthermore, once you finish the latest eight-part show I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she holds even more insights on the challenges of modern youth (At 30, she represents a bridge of the gang, straddling eras adept for connecting different age groups).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
The comparisons to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and Sennott readily acknowledges enthusiastic, referencing the show alongside Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as influences for the project, which details the travails of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and ally who is also aspiring representative Maia. However, the biggest influence on concept went to the popular sitcom, that HBO sitcom depicting an up-and-coming celebrity navigating in a corrupt entertainment industry (memorable line: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott began viewing it throughout the pandemic, became “hooked”, and decided to put her own twist on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she explains. The idea for the series originated—to some extent—from firsthand, originally difficult, relocation to LA and from her saturn return, a popular event for astrology heads. This represented a phase that included her grasp major insights, in her career and in private life. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” 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 …”
Starting Out
Growing up in the East Coast, the star began creating and acting humor while studying performance at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she explains. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “None of the university plays cast me either.” “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
Sennott seized control, taking the stage at amateur nights with Ayo and posting hilarious (and decidedly) bizarre comedy videos digitally. One, Baby Cult, depicted characters obsessively drawn to having babies; a different one envisioned being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being stuck in a scary movie. Interestingly, she encountered Emma through campus film circles and ultimately featuring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a funeral gathering with shades of the Safdie brothers’ movie. A recurring idea 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 confirms, adding amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Rising Success
Anyone who had doubts about her previously will certainly be feeling foolish now. In what she labels a “wild, full-circle” development, she seems to have manifested an ideal role. In 2019 she uploaded a clip titled on LA life online, in which she parodied film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a show about Angelenos balancing benefits of online celebrity (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being suspected of being a intoxicated thief, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). One might simple to make a program about digital influence that was horribly idealized—or, worse, one that belittled at those depicted. The series steers clear of each, resulting in a depiction of affluent millennial life that’s frank about the mess and the glamour.
Empathetic Approach
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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
