The star joins the video call and at once starts an excuse. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, seeming truly remorseful. Despite being only slightly delayed, she needs to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Luckily, during an interview, that’s just what one hopes to encounter. Besides, it’s fairly predictable. Those who have seen her fearlessly LGBTQ+ and outspoken project Bottoms—which she collaborated on with the director and appeared in with collaborator Ayo Edebiri—can be aware that she holds much to share, whether on identity, relationships, or the pros of forming a high-school brawl society. Furthermore, once you finish her new eight-part program titled I Love LA, it is clear that she carries even more insights about the struggles of modern youth (Now in her thirties, Sennott represents an honorary member for this generation, straddling eras adept for connecting different age groups).
Inspirations and Creative Vision
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and the actress readily acknowledges a fan, citing the show in addition to the classic series, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as inspirations for I Love LA, which tracks the struggles of an influencer Tallulah and her friend and aspiring talent manager Maia. Perhaps, the largest presence on concept belonged to Entourage, the program focusing on an emerging Hollywood star succeeding in a corrupt LA scene (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott started watching it amid the pandemic, became “obsessed”, and chose to put her own twist on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she says. The inspiration for I Love LA emerged—partly—from personal, initially rocky, relocation to Tinseltown and from the cosmic event, a much-talked-about phenomenon for astrology heads. This represented a phase that involved her understand some big insights, professionally and personally. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she says. “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 New England, Sennott began 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. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “None of the university plays cast me either.” “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
She took matters into her own hands, performing at live shows with her friend and sharing hilarious (and distinctly) unconventional online content digitally. A particular video, Baby Cult, centered on several females fetishistically fixated on pregnancy; a different one portrayed being employed at the brand Hollister as akin to being stuck in a horror film. In a neat twist of fate, she met Emma through campus film circles and ended up appearing in her first film, Shiva Baby, a stressful film set at a funeral gathering with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her journey, she explains, has been peers giving her a shot, instead of established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she repeats, continuing amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Individuals who had doubts regarding her previously will likely be regretting it now. In what she labels a “wild, full-circle” development, she has achieved an ideal role. In 2019 she uploaded a video called “it’s LA” on social media, in which she parodied film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Years later, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a comedy about LA residents managing benefits of internet fame (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with downsides (your friend being suspected of being a drug-addled stealer, and possibly becoming a risky persona non grata). One might tempting to produce a show about online fame that was overly idealized—or, more problematic, one that belittled at its subjects. This show steers clear of each, resulting in a depiction of affluent young adult existence that’s honest about the grot and the shine.
Balanced Perspective
“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
