The actress and writer on the uproarious show portraying that grotty allure of Gen Z lifestyle
The performer enters the digital interview and immediately begins an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, appearing truly regretful. She is 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, this is exactly what one hopes to hear. Besides, it’s fairly predictable. Viewers familiar with the boldly LGBTQ+ and outspoken film titled Bottoms—which she collaborated on with her creative partner and featured in alongside collaborator Ayo Edebiri—will be aware that Sennott possesses plenty to share, whether on gender, intimacy, or the merits of creating a high-school combat group. Plus, after watching the new multi-episode HBO series titled I Love LA, viewers realize that she has further thoughts about the darker side of modern youth (As a millennial, Sennott represents a bridge to younger audiences, on the cusp skilled for bridging different age groups).
Influences and Storytelling Approach
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and Sennott readily acknowledges a fan, citing it together with the HBO hit, Insecure and Atlanta as guides for her series, which follows the struggles of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and ally who is also fledgling talent manager portrayed by Sennott. However, the largest spot on creative vision belonged to the popular sitcom, the show depicting an emerging A-list actor making his way in an often-seedy LA scene (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott started watching it during the pandemic, became “hooked”, and resolved to create a new version 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 notes. The concept for I Love LA came—partly—from firsthand, at first difficult, move to Tinseltown and from her saturn return, a popular occurrence for followers. It was a time that involved her grasp major truths, in her career and individually. “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 resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Early Beginnings
Raised in New England, the star started developing and showcasing humor while studying acting at a prestigious arts school. “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?”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, appearing at live shows with Edebiri and sharing uproarious (and decidedly) unconventional online content on the internet. A particular video, Baby Cult, depicted a group of women intensely obsessed with having babies; another portrayed working at a trendy retail outlet as similar to being trapped in a horror film. In a neat twist of fate, she encountered Seligman through NYU’s movie community and eventually appearing in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful film set at a Jewish wake with hints of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The big theme of her career, she explains, has been people her own age supporting her, instead of the industry at large. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Definitely not them”, she repeats, adding humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Anyone who were skeptical regarding Sennott earlier will surely be feeling foolish today. Through she calls a “astonishingly complete” story, she seems to have achieved the perfect project. A few years back she uploaded a clip titled “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she lampooned film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a comedy about Angelenos juggling advantages of digital stardom (such as celebrating at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your client being suspected of being a substance-abusing stealer, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). Some could tempting to produce a series about internet celebrity that was extremely idealized—or, worse, one that mocked at its subjects. The series does neither, making for a depiction of affluent young adult living that’s frank about the grot and the shine.
Empathetic Approach
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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