The performer enters the digital interview and at once launches into an excuse. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, appearing truly remorseful. Despite being 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, that’s exactly what one hopes to encounter. Additionally, it’s fairly unsurprising. Those familiar with the unapologetically LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass movie titled Bottoms—that Sennott co-wrote with the director and featured in alongside close companion Ayo Edebiri—will already know that she possesses a lot to discuss, ranging from on roles, relationships, or the merits of forming a teen brawl society. Plus, by the end the new eight-part show I Love LA, it is clear that the star has even more thoughts regarding the challenges of modern youth (As a millennial, she serves as an honorary member to younger audiences, on the cusp skilled for connecting both generations).
Inspirations and Storytelling Approach
The comparisons to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and Sennott admits to being a fan, referencing the show alongside Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and Donald Glover’s series as guides for the project, which tracks the struggles of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and ally who is also new representative Sennott’s character. Notably, the biggest spot on the moodboard went to the popular sitcom, the HBO sitcom focusing on a rising celebrity succeeding in a gritty Hollywood (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott began viewing it during the pandemic, became “hooked”, and decided to add a fresh perspective 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 says. The idea for this project came—to some extent—from her own, at first fractious, relocation to Tinseltown and from her saturn return, a much-talked-about phenomenon for enthusiasts. That period marked a time that saw her grasp major insights, in her career and in private life. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” 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 …”
Starting Out
Brought up in Connecticut, Sennott began writing and performing comedy while studying theatre 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. 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.”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, appearing at live shows with Ayo and uploading hilarious (and distinctly) bizarre comedy videos on the internet. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, followed several females obsessively drawn to having babies; a different one imagined being employed at a trendy retail outlet as like being caught in a scary movie. By chance, she connected with Emma through NYU’s movie community and ultimately appearing in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a tense comedy set at a religious event with echoes of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her journey, she notes, has been peers supporting her, as opposed to established gatekeepers. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she emphasizes, continuing with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”
Career Breakthrough
Anyone who questioned about her previously will likely be feeling foolish today. As part of she calls a “incredibly circular” development, she has achieved the perfect project. In 2019 she uploaded a clip titled about Los Angeles online, in which she lampooned movie previews (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Six years on, she’s a lead creator (with the co-writer) of a show about city dwellers juggling benefits of digital stardom (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with drawbacks (your friend being accused of being a drug-addled thief, and possibly becoming a unreliable outcast). One might tempting to create a show about digital influence that was extremely idealized—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at its subjects. The series avoids both, making for a depiction of privileged young adult living that’s candid about the chaos and the shine.
Balanced Perspective
“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” 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
