The star joins the digital interview and right away begins an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, seeming truly apologetic. Despite being only a bit behind, she wants to clarify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Thankfully, in this context, this is exactly what you want to hear. Besides, it’s fairly expected. Anyone familiar with the fearlessly queer and brash film titled Bottoms—that Sennott penned with Emma Seligman and featured in with collaborator the talented actress—would be aware that she has a lot to say, ranging from about roles, sex, or the merits of forming a teen combat group. Plus, by the end her recent eight-part show I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star holds even more insights regarding the struggles of Gen Z life (At 30, Sennott serves as a bridge to younger audiences, straddling eras with a knack for bridging different age groups).
Influences and Artistic Direction
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s Girls can’t be avoided and Sennott readily acknowledges a fan, citing it alongside the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and Donald Glover’s series as inspirations for I Love LA, which follows the travails of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend and new agent portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the biggest spot on concept was reserved for Entourage, that program focusing on an up-and-coming A-list actor succeeding in a gritty Hollywood (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott started watching it throughout the pandemic, became “captivated”, and decided to put her own twist on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she notes. The idea for this project came—in part—from firsthand, originally difficult, move to Los Angeles and from the astrological phase, a frequently discussed occurrence for astrology heads. This represented a time that involved her understand significant truths, work-wise and personally. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she says. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Humble Origins
Brought up in New England, Sennott started creating and acting stand-up while studying acting at a prestigious arts school. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she explains. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
Sennott seized control, performing at live shows with Edebiri and uploading hilarious (and distinctly) weird skits digitally. A particular video, Baby Cult, centered on characters intensely drawn to motherhood; a different one envisioned being employed at the brand Hollister as similar to being caught in a horror film. In a neat twist of fate, she met Seligman through NYU’s movie community and eventually starring in her first film, Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a Jewish wake with hints of the Safdie brothers’ movie. A recurring idea of her path, she explains, has been contemporaries supporting her, rather than established gatekeepers. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Not the gatekeepers”, she repeats, adding with a laugh: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Rising Success
Those who had doubts about her previously will likely be regretting it today. In what she describes as a “astonishingly complete” development, she seems to have created the perfect project. Previously she posted content titled “it’s LA” online, in which she parodied movie previews (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Years later, she’s a lead creator (with her partner) of a comedy about city dwellers managing the perks of digital stardom (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with drawbacks (your client being accused of being a substance-abusing stealer, and possibly becoming a risky pariah). Some could easy to create a program about digital influence that was overly idealized—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at the characters. This show avoids both, creating a representation of privileged young adult life that’s candid about the mess and the appeal.
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 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
