The performer joins the online meeting and immediately starts an excuse. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she states, sounding really regretful. Although she's only slightly late, she needs to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, for a writer, this is exactly what you want to hear. Moreover, it’s fairly expected. Those who have seen her unapologetically queer and unapologetically crass film Bottoms—that she co-wrote with her creative partner and appeared in alongside her friend Ayo Edebiri—will already know that Sennott has much to share, be it on identity, intimacy, or the merits of starting a youth fight club. Plus, after watching her recent eight-part HBO series titled I Love LA, it is clear that the star holds further insights about the darker side of modern youth (As a millennial, Sennott represents an honorary member for this generation, on the cusp skilled for straddling different age groups).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and the actress admits to being an admirer, referencing the show in addition to the HBO hit, Insecure and the innovative program as guides for I Love LA, which tracks the journey of online personality Tallulah and her friend and aspiring talent manager Maia. Perhaps, the biggest influence on the moodboard was reserved for Entourage, that program depicting an emerging Hollywood star succeeding in an often-seedy entertainment industry (notable statement: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott started watching it during lockdown, became “hooked”, and chose to add a fresh perspective on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she explains. The idea for this project emerged—in part—from her own, initially rocky, move to Los Angeles and from her cosmic event, a much-talked-about event for followers. That period marked an era that included her learn significant life lessons, 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 resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Early Beginnings
Raised in Connecticut, the star began writing and performing comedy while pursuing acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she states. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “None of the university plays cast me either.” “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
She took matters into her own hands, performing at open mics with Edebiri and uploading hysterical (and very) unconventional comedy videos online. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, depicted characters fetishistically fixated on having babies; another imagined being employed at the brand Hollister as akin to being trapped in a scary movie. Interestingly, she met Seligman through NYU’s movie community and ultimately appearing in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a Jewish wake with hints of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her career, she says, has been peers offering opportunities, instead of the industry at large. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, adding amusedly: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Rising Success
Those who had doubts regarding Sennott previously will surely be feeling foolish now. Through she describes as a “wild, full-circle” story, she seems to have created her dream vehicle. Previously she shared a video named about Los Angeles on social media, in which she lampooned film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with her partner) of a series about Angelenos balancing advantages of digital stardom (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with downsides (your friend being labeled as being a intoxicated stealer, and possibly becoming a risky outcast). One might tempting to create a show about digital influence that was extremely glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that belittled at the characters. I Love LA steers clear of each, creating a depiction of privileged twentysomething life that’s candid about the chaos and the appeal.
Empathetic Approach
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” she says. “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
