The performer joins the digital interview and immediately launches into an apology. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, sounding truly regretful. Despite being only slightly late, she wants to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Fortunately, in this context, that’s precisely what is ideal to experience. Additionally, it’s fairly predictable. Viewers who have seen her fearlessly queer and unapologetically crass project titled Bottoms—which she penned with her creative partner and appeared in alongside her friend The Bear’s standout—would already know that Sennott possesses much to say, be it about roles, intimacy, or the merits of creating a high-school fight club. And, after watching the new eight-part program I Love LA, viewers realize that the star carries even more insights regarding the challenges of modern youth (As a millennial, she is an honorary member for this generation, on the cusp with a knack for bridging different age groups).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s Girls are inevitable and Sennott readily acknowledges an admirer, citing the show alongside Sex and the City, Insecure and Atlanta as inspirations for the project, which tracks the travails of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend and fledgling talent manager Sennott’s character. Notably, the largest spot on the moodboard belonged to Entourage, that HBO sitcom focusing on an up-and-coming Hollywood star making his way in a gritty Hollywood (choice quote: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She started watching it during lockdown, became “obsessed”, and resolved to create a new version on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she explains. The concept for this project came—in part—from firsthand, initially difficult, relocation to Los Angeles and from her saturn return, a frequently discussed event for enthusiasts. That period marked a phase that saw her grasp major life lessons, in her career and personally. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she recalls. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Humble Origins
Growing up in Connecticut, the star began developing and showcasing humor while studying acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” 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.” And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
Sennott decided to act independently, appearing at open mics with her friend and posting hilarious (and very) weird comedy videos digitally. A particular video, Baby Cult, centered on several females intensely fixated on motherhood; another envisioned being employed at the brand Hollister as like being caught in a horror film. Interestingly, she met Seligman through the university’s film scene and ended up featuring in her initial project, Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a funeral gathering with hints of Uncut Gems. The central motif of her journey, she says, has been contemporaries supporting her, instead of established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, adding humorously: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Career Breakthrough
Individuals who were skeptical regarding her previously will surely be feeling foolish now. In what she describes as a “incredibly circular” turn of events, she seems to have created her dream vehicle. A few years back she shared content titled on LA life online, in which she mocked film promos (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a series about LA residents balancing advantages of digital stardom (such as celebrating at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your friend being labeled as being a drug-addled thief, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). It would be easy to make a series about internet celebrity that was overly glamorous—or, more problematic, one that belittled at its subjects. I Love LA steers clear of each, resulting in a portrait of advantaged twentysomething living that’s frank about the mess and the appeal.
Nuanced Portrayal
“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
