The performer joins the online meeting and at once starts an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she states, appearing genuinely apologetic. Despite being only a bit late, she needs to clarify. “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!” Luckily, in this context, this is precisely what you want to experience. Besides, it’s fairly unsurprising. Viewers who have seen her boldly queer and outspoken film titled Bottoms—that Sennott penned with Emma Seligman and appeared in with close companion the talented actress—will already know that she has a lot to discuss, be it about identity, intimacy, or the merits of starting a youth combat group. Furthermore, by the end the latest seasonal program I Love LA, it is clear that the star has further insights about the darker side of young adulthood (As a millennial, Sennott is a relatable figure to younger audiences, on the cusp with a knack for straddling both generations).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s Girls can’t be avoided and the actress admits to being a fan, citing it in addition to Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as inspirations for I Love LA, which details the travails of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion who is also aspiring representative Sennott’s character. Notably, the most significant spot on concept belonged to the popular sitcom, that HBO sitcom about an up-and-coming celebrity navigating in an often-seedy entertainment industry (memorable line: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She began viewing it throughout lockdown, became “hooked”, and decided to add a fresh perspective 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 notes. The idea for this project originated—to some extent—from her own, originally difficult, relocation to LA and from her astrological phase, a much-talked-about occurrence for enthusiasts. That period marked a phase that included her grasp some big life lessons, in her career 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 resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Humble Origins
Growing up in New England, the star started developing and showcasing stand-up while enrolled in performance at a prestigious arts school. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she states. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
She decided to act independently, performing at live shows with her friend and uploading hilarious (and very) bizarre comedy videos digitally. One, Baby Cult, followed a group of women intensely drawn to motherhood; another imagined being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being stuck in a horror film. Interestingly, she encountered Emma through campus film circles and ended up starring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a Jewish wake with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. A recurring idea of her path, she explains, has been contemporaries supporting her, as opposed to the industry at large. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, adding with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”
Career Breakthrough
Those who had doubts regarding Sennott earlier will certainly be feeling foolish now. As part of she labels a “wild, full-circle” story, she has achieved her dream vehicle. Previously she posted a clip named “it’s LA” online, in which she mocked film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a series about LA residents juggling benefits of digital stardom (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with drawbacks (your friend being labeled as being a substance-abusing thief, and potentially becoming a risky outcast). It would be tempting to create a program about internet celebrity that was overly aspirational—or, more problematic, one that punched down at those depicted. I Love LA steers clear of each, making for a representation of affluent millennial existence that’s honest about the mess and the appeal.
Balanced Perspective
“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” 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
