The performer joins the video call and at once starts an apology. “Apologies for the delay!” she says, seeming genuinely remorseful. She is only slightly delayed, she wants to justify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Thankfully, for a writer, that’s precisely what one hopes to encounter. Moreover, it’s fairly unsurprising. Those familiar with the unapologetically openly gay and unapologetically crass film Bottoms—that Sennott penned with her creative partner and appeared in with her friend Ayo Edebiri—will already know that Sennott has much to share, whether about identity, relationships, or the pros of forming a youth combat group. Plus, after watching her latest multi-episode HBO series titled I Love LA, viewers realize that she carries even more perspectives on the struggles of young adulthood (Now in her thirties, Sennott serves as an honorary member of the gang, straddling eras skilled for connecting different age groups).
Influences and Artistic Direction
Parallels to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and the actress admits to being enthusiastic, referencing the show in addition to the HBO hit, Insecure and the innovative program as inspirations for I Love LA, which follows the journey of online personality Tallulah and ally who is also aspiring talent manager Sennott’s character. Notably, the biggest presence on the moodboard was reserved for the popular sitcom, that show about an up-and-coming celebrity navigating in an often-seedy entertainment industry (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott discovered it throughout the pandemic, became “hooked”, and chose to create a new version on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she notes. The inspiration for the series emerged—in part—from firsthand, originally difficult, relocation to Los Angeles and from the saturn return, a much-talked-about phenomenon for enthusiasts. That period marked a phase 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 admits. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Starting Out
Raised in New England, Sennott started developing and showcasing stand-up while studying acting at NYU’s Tisch. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she explains. “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 seized control, appearing at live shows with her friend and posting hysterical (and decidedly) bizarre skits on the internet. A particular video, Baby Cult, depicted characters fetishistically obsessed with motherhood; another envisioned being employed at the brand Hollister as similar to being trapped in a thriller. Interestingly, she connected with Emma through the university’s film scene and ultimately starring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a Jewish wake with hints of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her path, she notes, has been people her own age offering opportunities, instead of traditional networks. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, stating humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Manifesting Dreams
Anyone who were skeptical about Sennott previously will likely be kicking themselves now. Through she labels a “wild, full-circle” turn of events, she seems to have achieved an ideal role. In 2019 she posted content named about Los Angeles on social media, in which she mocked movie previews (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s a lead creator (with the co-writer) of a series about city dwellers juggling the perks of internet fame (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your associate being suspected of being a substance-abusing stealer, and perhaps becoming a “brand unsafe” pariah). It would be tempting to make a program about online fame that was extremely glamorous—or, worse, one that punched down at its subjects. This show avoids both, resulting in a depiction of advantaged millennial existence that’s candid about the grot and the appeal.
Nuanced Portrayal
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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
