The comedic talent exploring her uproarious show about the chaotic glamour of younger generation life
The star enters the digital interview and right away launches into an apology. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she states, appearing really regretful. Although she's only a couple of minutes behind, she wants to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Luckily, in this context, this is exactly what you want to encounter. Moreover, it’s quite expected. Viewers who have seen her boldly queer and unapologetically crass project titled Bottoms—which she collaborated on with the director and appeared in alongside collaborator The Bear’s standout—can understand that she holds a lot to say, ranging from about roles, intimacy, or the pros of creating a high-school brawl society. And, once you finish her latest multi-episode program I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star has even more perspectives about the darker side of young adulthood (Now in her thirties, Sennott is a relatable figure to younger audiences, a tale-end millennial skilled for bridging millennials and Gen Z).
Inspirations and Creative Vision
The comparisons to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and the actress readily acknowledges an admirer, naming the show alongside the HBO hit, Insecure and the innovative program as influences for I Love LA, which details the journey of an influencer Tallulah and her friend who is also new agent Maia. Perhaps, the biggest spot on the moodboard went to the HBO series, that show about a rising celebrity navigating in an often-seedy entertainment industry (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott discovered it throughout the pandemic, became “captivated”, and decided to create a new version 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 the series emerged—to some extent—from firsthand, originally difficult, relocation to LA and from the astrological phase, a frequently discussed event for followers. That period marked an era that included her learn some big life lessons, in her career and personally. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she admits. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Starting Out
Brought up in the East Coast, Sennott commenced creating and acting humor while studying acting at a prestigious arts school. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she states. “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. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, performing at open mics with Edebiri and uploading uproarious (and decidedly) bizarre comedy videos digitally. One, Baby Cult, followed a group of women fetishistically fixated on motherhood; another envisioned working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being trapped in a thriller. In a neat twist of fate, she met Emma through NYU’s movie community and ultimately featuring in her initial project, Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a funeral gathering with hints of the intense thriller. The big theme of her career, she notes, has been peers supporting her, as opposed to the industry at large. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “They were not involved”, she confirms, continuing amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”
Rising Success
Those who questioned regarding her earlier will likely be feeling foolish today. In what she calls a “wild, full-circle” turn of events, she appears to created her dream vehicle. A few years back she posted a clip titled about Los Angeles online, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Six years on, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about city dwellers balancing advantages of online celebrity (such as partying at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being accused of being a intoxicated thief, and possibly becoming a unreliable outcast). One might tempting to create a show about online fame that was overly aspirational—or, even less favorable, one that mocked at its subjects. This show does neither, making for a depiction of privileged young adult living that’s frank about the mess and the shine.
Balanced Perspective
“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” 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