The star joins the video call and right away starts an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, appearing truly apologetic. She is only a couple of minutes behind, she needs to clarify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Fortunately, in this context, this is precisely what is ideal to encounter. Besides, it’s pretty predictable. Viewers who know her boldly LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass project titled Bottoms—which Sennott co-wrote with Emma Seligman and featured in alongside collaborator the talented actress—can already know that Sennott possesses a lot to say, be it about roles, relationships, or the pros of starting a teen fight club. Plus, after watching her latest eight-part show titled I Love LA, viewers realize that the star has further perspectives regarding the darker side of young adulthood (As a millennial, she is an honorary member to younger audiences, a tale-end millennial adept for straddling both generations).
Influences and Storytelling Approach
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s Girls are inevitable and the actress admits to being enthusiastic, referencing the show together with Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and Donald Glover’s series as guides for the project, which details the journey of an influencer Tallulah and her friend who is also fledgling representative portrayed by Sennott. However, the most significant influence on creative vision went to the HBO series, that HBO sitcom depicting an up-and-coming A-list actor navigating in an often-seedy LA scene (notable statement: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott began viewing it throughout lockdown, became “obsessed”, and decided to add a fresh perspective on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she explains. The inspiration for this project emerged—to some extent—from firsthand, originally difficult, relocation to Tinseltown and from her cosmic event, a much-talked-about phenomenon for followers. It was a phase that saw her understand some big truths, in her career and in private life. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she admits. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Starting Out
Raised in the East Coast, Sennott commenced creating and acting stand-up while studying theatre at NYU’s Tisch. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she states. “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. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
She took matters into her own hands, performing at open mics with her friend and sharing hysterical (and decidedly) bizarre comedy videos on the internet. A particular video, Baby Cult, followed several females fetishistically drawn to having babies; another envisioned being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being trapped in a thriller. By chance, she connected with Emma through campus film circles and ultimately appearing in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a Jewish wake with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The big theme of her journey, she notes, has been people her own age supporting her, as opposed to established gatekeepers. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “They were not involved”, she confirms, adding with a laugh: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Rising Success
Individuals who had doubts about Sennott earlier will surely be regretting it today. As part of she describes as a “incredibly circular” story, she appears to manifested her dream vehicle. In 2019 she posted a video named “it’s LA” on social media, in which she parodied Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Six years on, she’s a lead creator (with Emma Barrie) of a show about Angelenos balancing the perks of online celebrity (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with downsides (your client being accused of being a intoxicated criminal, and perhaps becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). Some could easy to make a show about internet celebrity that was horribly idealized—or, even less favorable, one that belittled at those depicted. I Love LA avoids both, making for a portrait of affluent young adult living that’s frank about the mess and the glamour.
Nuanced Portrayal
“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
