The performer appears on the digital interview and right away begins an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she says, appearing genuinely regretful. Although she's only a couple of minutes late, she wants to clarify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Thankfully, for a writer, that’s just what you want to encounter. Besides, it’s quite unsurprising. Anyone familiar with the unapologetically LGBTQ+ and brash movie Bottoms—which Sennott co-wrote with her creative partner and starred in with collaborator Ayo Edebiri—would understand that she possesses much to say, be it about gender, intimacy, or the pros of starting a teen combat group. And, by the end her recent eight-part HBO series I Love LA, it is clear that she carries additional insights about the challenges of modern youth (As a millennial, Sennott is an honorary member for this generation, a tale-end millennial skilled for straddling different age groups).
Inspirations and Storytelling Approach
Parallels to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and the actress admits to being enthusiastic, naming it alongside the classic series, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as inspirations for her series, which follows the travails of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend who is also aspiring agent Sennott’s character. Notably, the most significant spot on creative vision belonged to the HBO series, the show depicting a rising celebrity navigating in a corrupt LA scene (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She began viewing it amid the pandemic, became “obsessed”, and decided to add a fresh perspective on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she says. The inspiration for the series emerged—to some extent—from firsthand, initially difficult, move to LA and from her saturn return, a much-talked-about event for astrology heads. It was a phase that included her grasp significant truths, in her career and in private life. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” 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
Brought up in New England, Sennott started creating and acting stand-up while pursuing theatre at a prestigious arts school. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she says. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She took matters into her own hands, appearing at amateur nights with Edebiri and sharing hysterical (and decidedly) bizarre skits online. A particular video, Baby Cult, followed characters obsessively obsessed with motherhood; a different one imagined being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being stuck in a scary movie. By chance, she encountered Emma through campus film circles and ended up starring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a religious event with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. A recurring idea of her path, she notes, has been peers supporting her, as opposed to established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, adding amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Rising Success
Anyone who questioned about Sennott earlier will likely be kicking themselves now. In what she labels a “astonishingly complete” development, she has manifested her dream vehicle. Previously she posted a clip named “it’s LA” online, in which she lampooned movie previews (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s a lead creator (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about city dwellers juggling the perks of online celebrity (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your friend being suspected of being a drug-addled thief, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). Some could tempting to create a show about digital influence that was overly glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that belittled at those depicted. I Love LA does neither, resulting in a depiction of advantaged millennial life that’s honest about the mess and the shine.
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
