The star appears on the digital interview and right away begins an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she states, appearing genuinely apologetic. She is only a bit late, she feels compelled to explain. “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 exactly what one hopes to encounter. Moreover, it’s pretty unsurprising. Those who have seen her unapologetically queer and brash project titled Bottoms—which Sennott penned with Emma Seligman and featured in together with close companion Ayo Edebiri—will be aware that she holds a lot to say, be it about gender, intimacy, or the pros of creating a youth combat group. Furthermore, after watching her latest multi-episode program titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star holds even more thoughts on the challenges of Gen Z life (As a millennial, she represents a bridge for this generation, straddling eras adept for straddling millennials and Gen Z).
Guiding Lights and Artistic Direction
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and Sennott is an admirer, referencing the show alongside the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as inspirations for her series, which follows the travails of an influencer Tallulah and her friend and fledgling representative portrayed by Sennott. However, the largest presence on creative vision was reserved for the HBO series, the show depicting an up-and-coming celebrity succeeding in an often-seedy entertainment industry (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She started watching it during lockdown, became “hooked”, and decided to put her own twist on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she explains. The concept for this project came—partly—from her own, originally rocky, transition to Tinseltown and from the astrological phase, a popular event for enthusiasts. It was a phase that saw her understand some big life lessons, work-wise and individually. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she admits. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Early Beginnings
Brought up in the East Coast, the star started 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 states. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
She decided to act independently, performing at open mics with Edebiri and posting hilarious (and distinctly) weird comedy videos on the internet. A particular video, Baby Cult, followed a group of women obsessively fixated on pregnancy; a different one portrayed being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being trapped in a horror film. By chance, she connected with Seligman through campus film circles and ultimately featuring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a funeral gathering with echoes of the intense thriller. The central motif of her path, she says, has been peers giving her a shot, as opposed to traditional networks. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she repeats, adding amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Individuals who questioned regarding Sennott previously will likely be regretting it now. In what she describes as a “astonishingly complete” development, she has manifested the perfect project. A few years back she uploaded a clip titled “it’s LA” online, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with her partner) of a series about LA residents managing benefits of online celebrity (such as partying at a famous actor’s house) with downsides (your associate being accused of being a drug-addled thief, and possibly becoming a unreliable outcast). One might easy to make a program about internet celebrity that was overly idealized—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at the characters. I Love LA avoids both, resulting in a representation of advantaged twentysomething existence that’s candid about the grot 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
