The actress and writer on the hilarious series about the messy allure of Gen Z lifestyle
The star enters the video call and at once launches into an excuse. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, appearing really remorseful. Despite being only slightly delayed, she needs to justify. “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!” Thankfully, during an interview, that’s precisely what you want to experience. Additionally, it’s pretty predictable. Viewers familiar with the boldly LGBTQ+ and brash project Bottoms—that she co-wrote with Emma Seligman and appeared in together with her friend Ayo Edebiri—will be aware that Sennott has much to share, be it about gender, intimacy, or the merits of creating a teen brawl society. Plus, by the end her new multi-episode show I Love LA, it is clear that she holds even more insights regarding the darker side of modern youth (As a millennial, Sennott represents an honorary member for this generation, a tale-end millennial skilled for straddling both generations).
Influences and Storytelling Approach
Parallels to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and Sennott is an admirer, citing it alongside the classic series, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as influences for the project, which details the struggles of an influencer Tallulah and her friend and fledgling talent manager portrayed by Sennott. However, the most significant influence on creative vision went to the HBO series, the HBO sitcom depicting an emerging A-list actor navigating in a gritty LA scene (choice quote: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott discovered it throughout COVID-19, became “captivated”, and chose to put her own twist on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she notes. The idea for this project originated—to some extent—from her own, initially fractious, transition to Los Angeles and from the astrological phase, a popular phenomenon for enthusiasts. It was an era that involved her grasp some big truths, in her career and in private life. “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 was almost like these biblical tests …”
Humble Origins
Brought up in the East Coast, Sennott commenced developing and showcasing comedy while studying theatre at a prestigious arts school. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she explains. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, performing at amateur nights with Ayo and posting hilarious (and very) unconventional online content online. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, depicted a group of women fetishistically drawn to motherhood; a different one envisioned being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being stuck in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she connected with Emma through NYU’s movie community and eventually appearing in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, a tense comedy set at a Jewish wake with hints of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her career, she notes, has been peers supporting her, as opposed to the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she repeats, continuing with a laugh: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Rising Success
Those who questioned regarding her then will certainly be regretting it currently. As part of she describes as a “wild, full-circle” story, she has achieved her dream vehicle. A few years back she uploaded a video called on LA life on social media, in which she lampooned film promos (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a series about Angelenos juggling advantages of internet fame (such as celebrating at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your associate being suspected of being a drug-addled stealer, and perhaps becoming a risky outcast). Some could tempting to produce a series about internet celebrity that was extremely idealized—or, worse, one that mocked at its subjects. I Love LA steers clear of each, resulting in a portrait of affluent twentysomething living that’s frank about the chaos and the glamour.
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
