The star appears on the video call and immediately begins an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, seeming truly regretful. She is only a bit behind, she wants to justify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, during an interview, this is precisely what one hopes to encounter. Additionally, it’s fairly expected. Anyone familiar with the boldly queer and outspoken movie Bottoms—that Sennott penned with the director and starred in together with collaborator the talented actress—will understand that she has plenty to say, ranging from on roles, sex, or the merits of creating a teen combat group. Plus, by the end the latest eight-part show titled I Love LA, viewers realize that the star carries further insights on the darker side of modern youth (Now in her thirties, Sennott represents an honorary member for this generation, on the cusp with a knack for connecting both generations).
Inspirations and Creative Vision
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show are inevitable and the actress is an admirer, naming the show alongside the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and Donald Glover’s series as guides for the project, which details the travails of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion who is also new representative portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the biggest influence on the moodboard went to the HBO series, the program about an emerging Hollywood star making his way in an often-seedy entertainment industry (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She started watching it during lockdown, became “obsessed”, and chose to add a fresh perspective on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“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 came—in part—from her own, at first rocky, relocation to LA and from the saturn return, a popular occurrence for astrology heads. It was a time that included her understand significant truths, professionally and personally. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she says. “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
Growing up in the East Coast, the star began creating and acting comedy while pursuing theatre at a prestigious arts school. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she states. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “None of the university plays cast me either.” And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at live shows with Ayo and posting hilarious (and decidedly) unconventional skits online. One, Baby Cult, followed several females obsessively drawn to pregnancy; another envisioned working at a trendy retail outlet as similar to being stuck in a horror film. Interestingly, she met Emma through NYU’s movie community and ultimately starring in her initial project, Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a religious event with echoes of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her journey, she explains, has been peers offering opportunities, instead of the industry at large. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, adding humorously: “They don’t want us to win.”
Career Breakthrough
Individuals who were skeptical about Sennott earlier will certainly be regretting it currently. As part of she calls a “wild, full-circle” story, she has created the perfect project. Previously she posted a clip named on LA life on social media, in which she lampooned movie previews (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about LA residents managing advantages of online celebrity (such as socializing at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your client being labeled as being a intoxicated criminal, and possibly becoming a risky pariah). One might simple to create a series about online fame that was extremely aspirational—or, more problematic, one that belittled at those depicted. The series avoids both, creating a portrait of advantaged young adult existence that’s frank about the mess and the shine.
Empathetic Approach
“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
