The star joins the online meeting and right away begins an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she exclaims, seeming really apologetic. Although she's only slightly late, she feels compelled to justify. “My phone conversations always run long.” I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Fortunately, in this context, that’s exactly what one hopes to hear. Moreover, it’s pretty unsurprising. Viewers who know the boldly queer and unapologetically crass movie Bottoms—that she collaborated on with her creative partner and featured in with collaborator Ayo Edebiri—can understand that Sennott has much to discuss, ranging from on identity, sex, or the appeal of starting a teen combat group. Plus, once you finish her latest eight-part HBO series I Love LA, viewers realize that she carries even more perspectives about the challenges of young adulthood (Now in her thirties, she serves as a bridge of the gang, straddling eras with a knack for bridging both generations).
Influences and Artistic Direction
The comparisons to the iconic series Girls can’t be avoided and Sennott readily acknowledges a fan, citing the show in addition to Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as influences for the project, which details the journey of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend who is also new agent Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the biggest presence on concept went to the HBO series, that show focusing on a rising A-list actor navigating in an often-seedy entertainment industry (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott discovered it throughout COVID-19, became “captivated”, and chose to add a fresh perspective on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she notes. The inspiration for I Love LA originated—partly—from her own, originally rocky, move to LA and from her astrological phase, a frequently discussed phenomenon for enthusiasts. This represented an era that involved her grasp some big life lessons, 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. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Humble Origins
Raised in New England, the star started developing and showcasing comedy while pursuing acting at NYU’s Tisch. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” 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, taking the stage at amateur nights with Ayo and posting hysterical (and distinctly) unconventional online content on the internet. A particular video, Baby Cult, followed a group of women obsessively obsessed with motherhood; another envisioned being employed at the brand Hollister as similar to being caught in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she met Emma through campus film circles and ultimately featuring in her first film, Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a funeral gathering with echoes of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her path, she notes, has been contemporaries supporting her, as opposed to traditional networks. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “They were not involved”, she repeats, stating amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Anyone who questioned regarding her earlier will certainly be regretting it currently. As part of she calls a “wild, full-circle” story, she has manifested the perfect project. Previously she uploaded a video titled about Los Angeles on social media, in which she parodied Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Years later, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a comedy about LA residents managing benefits of online celebrity (such as socializing at a famous actor’s house) with downsides (your client being accused of being a drug-addled stealer, and perhaps becoming a unreliable persona non grata). It would be easy to produce a series about online fame that was overly aspirational—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at the characters. This show steers clear of each, creating a representation of privileged millennial life that’s candid about the grot and the glamour.
Balanced Perspective
“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
