The star enters the video call and at once starts an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, appearing really remorseful. Although she's only slightly behind, she feels compelled to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Fortunately, during an interview, this is exactly what one hopes to encounter. Besides, it’s pretty unsurprising. Viewers familiar with the unapologetically openly gay and unapologetically crass project Bottoms—that she collaborated on with the director and appeared in alongside her friend the talented actress—would understand that Sennott possesses much to share, whether on identity, sex, or the appeal of creating a teen combat group. Plus, once you finish her new eight-part program titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she has further thoughts on the struggles of young adulthood (At 30, Sennott is a bridge of the gang, on the cusp adept for straddling millennials and Gen Z).
Inspirations and Creative Vision
Likenesses to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and Sennott is enthusiastic, naming it alongside the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as influences for her series, which details the struggles of online personality Tallulah and ally and aspiring talent manager portrayed by Sennott. However, the largest influence on creative vision went to the popular sitcom, the show focusing on a rising celebrity making his way in a corrupt LA scene (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott began viewing it throughout COVID-19, became “hooked”, and chose to add a fresh perspective 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—partly—from personal, initially difficult, transition to Tinseltown and from the saturn return, a much-talked-about occurrence for followers. It was a time that saw her understand significant truths, work-wise and in private life. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she recalls. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Early Beginnings
Brought up in the East Coast, Sennott began creating and acting comedy while enrolled in acting at a prestigious arts school. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she says. “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, taking the stage at amateur nights with Ayo and posting uproarious (and distinctly) weird online content online. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, depicted several females fetishistically obsessed with pregnancy; a different one portrayed being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being caught in a scary movie. Interestingly, she met Seligman through campus film circles and eventually featuring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, a tense comedy set at a funeral gathering with shades of Uncut Gems. The central motif of her career, she explains, has been peers giving her a shot, as opposed to established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she confirms, continuing with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”
Manifesting Dreams
Anyone who questioned regarding Sennott earlier will surely be kicking themselves currently. In what she describes as a “incredibly circular” turn of events, she appears to created an ideal role. Previously she posted content named about Los Angeles online, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Years later, she’s a lead creator (with Emma Barrie) of a series about Angelenos balancing advantages of online celebrity (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being accused of being a substance-abusing stealer, and potentially becoming a unreliable outcast). Some could tempting to create a program about digital influence that was extremely aspirational—or, more problematic, one that belittled at the characters. I Love LA steers clear of each, resulting in a depiction of privileged young adult existence that’s honest about the mess and the shine.
Nuanced Portrayal
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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
