The star joins the video call and at once launches into an excuse. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she states, sounding truly regretful. Although she's only a bit delayed, she needs to justify. “My phone conversations always run long.” I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Thankfully, during an interview, that’s exactly what you want to hear. Moreover, it’s quite unsurprising. Those who know her unapologetically queer and outspoken project titled Bottoms—which Sennott co-wrote with her creative partner and featured in together with collaborator Ayo Edebiri—can understand that Sennott holds plenty to discuss, ranging from on roles, sex, or the appeal of creating a youth combat group. Furthermore, once you finish her new multi-episode program titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she holds further thoughts regarding the challenges of modern youth (As a millennial, Sennott represents a relatable figure for this generation, a tale-end millennial with a knack for connecting different age groups).
Inspirations and Storytelling Approach
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s Girls can’t be avoided and Sennott readily acknowledges a fan, citing it in addition to the HBO hit, Insecure and Donald Glover’s series as inspirations for I Love LA, which tracks the struggles of an influencer Tallulah and her friend who is also aspiring representative Maia. Notably, the largest influence on the moodboard went to Entourage, that show focusing on an emerging Hollywood star making his way in an often-seedy Hollywood (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott discovered it amid lockdown, became “captivated”, and decided to put her own twist on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she notes. The inspiration for the series came—in part—from personal, originally rocky, transition to Tinseltown and from her astrological phase, a popular event for enthusiasts. That period marked a time that saw her learn major insights, work-wise and in private life. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she recalls. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Early Beginnings
Raised in New England, the star commenced developing and showcasing stand-up while studying performance at a prestigious arts school. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she says. “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?”
She decided to act independently, appearing at live shows with Edebiri and uploading hysterical (and very) weird comedy videos online. One, Baby Cult, depicted several females obsessively fixated on having babies; a different one imagined being employed at the brand Hollister as like being caught in a thriller. By chance, she encountered Seligman through the university’s film scene and ended up featuring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful comedy set at a funeral gathering with hints of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her career, she says, has been contemporaries offering opportunities, instead of the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, stating humorously: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Manifesting Dreams
Those who were skeptical regarding Sennott previously will surely be kicking themselves currently. As part of she calls a “incredibly circular” development, she seems to have achieved the perfect project. Previously she shared a clip called on LA life on social media, in which she parodied movie previews (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a series about city dwellers balancing the perks of internet fame (such as celebrating at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your associate being accused of being a substance-abusing thief, and perhaps becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). Some could tempting to create a series about online fame that was overly aspirational—or, more problematic, one that mocked at those depicted. This show does neither, making for a representation of affluent twentysomething living that’s frank about the chaos and the shine.
Balanced Perspective
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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
