The performer joins the online meeting and right away begins an excuse. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, seeming truly remorseful. Although she's only a couple of minutes delayed, she feels compelled to justify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Fortunately, in this context, this is exactly what one hopes to encounter. Besides, it’s fairly expected. Viewers familiar with her unapologetically queer and unapologetically crass movie titled Bottoms—which Sennott collaborated on with Emma Seligman and featured in alongside her friend The Bear’s standout—can be aware that Sennott possesses much to share, be it about identity, intimacy, or the appeal of creating a high-school fight club. And, by the end the new eight-part program I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she carries even more perspectives regarding the struggles of young adulthood (Now in her thirties, Sennott is a bridge to younger audiences, a tale-end millennial skilled for connecting both generations).
Inspirations and Creative Vision
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s Girls are inevitable and the actress admits to being a fan, referencing the show in addition to the HBO hit, Insecure and the innovative program as guides for I Love LA, which follows the struggles of an influencer Tallulah and close companion who is also fledgling representative Maia. Notably, the biggest spot on concept belonged to Entourage, that program about an emerging celebrity navigating in a gritty LA scene (choice quote: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott discovered it amid lockdown, became “hooked”, and decided to add a fresh perspective on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she explains. The inspiration for I Love LA came—partly—from firsthand, at first rocky, transition to Tinseltown and from the astrological phase, a popular event for enthusiasts. This represented an era that involved her grasp some big truths, work-wise and individually. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she admits. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Humble Origins
Raised in New England, Sennott started writing and performing humor while studying performance at NYU’s Tisch. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she explains. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She decided to act independently, appearing at open mics with Edebiri and sharing hilarious (and distinctly) unconventional comedy videos on the internet. One, Baby Cult, centered on a group of women fetishistically drawn to having babies; a different one imagined working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being trapped in a thriller. By chance, she met Seligman through the university’s film scene and ended up starring in her initial project, Shiva Baby, a stressful comedy set at a religious event with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. A recurring idea of her journey, she explains, has been contemporaries supporting her, instead of the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, adding amusedly: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Career Breakthrough
Anyone who were skeptical regarding Sennott earlier will likely be regretting it currently. In what she labels a “wild, full-circle” story, she has manifested the perfect project. Previously she shared a clip called “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she parodied film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about city dwellers balancing advantages of online celebrity (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your associate being labeled as being a substance-abusing thief, and perhaps becoming a unreliable persona non grata). Some could tempting to create a series about online fame that was extremely aspirational—or, worse, one that punched down at the characters. The series steers clear of each, making for a portrait of affluent twentysomething living that’s honest about the grot and the glamour.
Empathetic Approach
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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
