The star enters the digital interview and right away begins an explanation. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she states, appearing truly regretful. She is only a couple of minutes late, she wants to clarify. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Luckily, in this context, that’s just what you want to encounter. Moreover, it’s pretty unsurprising. Viewers familiar with her boldly LGBTQ+ and brash movie titled Bottoms—which Sennott collaborated on with Emma Seligman and featured in alongside collaborator the talented actress—will understand that she has a lot to discuss, be it on roles, relationships, or the appeal of creating a youth fight club. And, after watching the recent multi-episode HBO series I Love LA, it is clear that the star has additional insights about the struggles of modern youth (As a millennial, Sennott represents a bridge to younger audiences, on the cusp with a knack for connecting both generations).
Influences and Artistic Direction
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s Girls can’t be avoided and Sennott admits to being an admirer, referencing the show alongside Sex and the City, Insecure and the innovative program as influences for the project, which tracks the struggles of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend who is also aspiring representative portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the biggest influence on concept belonged to Entourage, the program depicting an up-and-coming Hollywood star navigating in a corrupt Hollywood (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She discovered it amid COVID-19, became “captivated”, and decided to put her own twist on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she says. The idea for I Love LA came—in part—from personal, originally rocky, relocation to Tinseltown and from her saturn return, a much-talked-about phenomenon for astrology heads. It was an era that saw her learn some big life lessons, in her career and in private life. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she says. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Humble Origins
Raised in the East Coast, Sennott commenced writing and performing comedy while pursuing acting at NYU’s Tisch. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she says. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She seized control, performing at open mics with Ayo and posting hilarious (and distinctly) weird comedy videos online. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, centered on a group of women intensely obsessed with having babies; another imagined working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being trapped in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she connected with Emma through campus film circles and eventually featuring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a Jewish wake with shades of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her career, she notes, has been people her own age offering opportunities, rather than the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she repeats, adding humorously: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Rising Success
Individuals who were skeptical about her previously will certainly be kicking themselves now. Through she calls a “incredibly circular” development, she has created her dream vehicle. Previously she posted a video named about Los Angeles on the internet, in which she lampooned film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Years later, she’s a lead creator (with the co-writer) of a series about city dwellers balancing benefits of digital stardom (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with drawbacks (your client being labeled as being a substance-abusing thief, and potentially becoming a unreliable outcast). It would be easy to create a program about digital influence that was overly aspirational—or, worse, one that punched down at those depicted. The series steers clear of each, resulting in a representation of privileged millennial living that’s honest about the mess and the glamour.
Nuanced Portrayal
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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
