The performer joins the online meeting and immediately begins an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, seeming really apologetic. Although she's only a couple of minutes late, she feels compelled to explain. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Thankfully, during an interview, that’s exactly what one hopes to encounter. Moreover, it’s fairly unsurprising. Viewers who have seen her fearlessly queer and brash film titled Bottoms—that she collaborated on with Emma Seligman and featured in alongside collaborator the talented actress—can be aware that she holds a lot to discuss, whether about gender, sex, or the merits of forming a youth fight club. Furthermore, after watching the recent multi-episode show I Love LA, it is clear that she holds additional perspectives on the darker side of Gen Z life (Now in her thirties, she represents an honorary member of the gang, a tale-end millennial with a knack for bridging both generations).
Inspirations and Creative Vision
Parallels to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and the actress is enthusiastic, referencing it in addition to the classic series, Insecure and the innovative program as influences for her series, which tracks the travails of an influencer Tallulah and her friend who is also new agent portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the biggest influence on the moodboard was reserved for the HBO series, that HBO sitcom depicting an up-and-coming A-list actor making his way in a corrupt Hollywood (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott began viewing it during COVID-19, became “captivated”, and chose 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 explains. The inspiration for I Love LA came—to some extent—from her own, at first difficult, transition to Tinseltown and from her astrological phase, a much-talked-about phenomenon for enthusiasts. It was a time that involved her learn significant truths, professionally and personally. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she admits. “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
Brought up in the East Coast, Sennott began creating and acting comedy while pursuing performance 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. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
She took matters into her own hands, appearing at open mics with Ayo and uploading uproarious (and distinctly) weird skits online. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, followed a group of women fetishistically obsessed with having babies; another imagined being employed at a trendy retail outlet as akin to being stuck in a horror film. In a neat twist of fate, she met Emma through NYU’s movie community and ended up appearing in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a religious event with echoes of Uncut Gems. The central motif of her path, she says, has been peers supporting her, as opposed to the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, stating with a laugh: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Those who questioned regarding her earlier will surely be kicking themselves now. In what she calls a “wild, full-circle” turn of events, she appears to achieved her dream vehicle. Previously she shared content called on LA life on the internet, 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 comedy about Angelenos balancing advantages of internet fame (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being accused of being a substance-abusing criminal, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” pariah). Some could easy to create a show about online fame that was horribly idealized—or, worse, one that punched down at the characters. This show steers clear of each, making for a portrait of privileged twentysomething living that’s frank about the grot and the shine.
Empathetic Approach
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” she says. “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
