The actress and writer discussing the uproarious show portraying the messy glamour of today's youth existence
The star enters the online meeting and right away launches into an apology. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, seeming really regretful. Although she's only a bit behind, she feels compelled to clarify. “My phone conversations always run long.” I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Fortunately, in this context, this is exactly what one hopes to experience. Moreover, it’s pretty unsurprising. Viewers familiar with the fearlessly LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass project Bottoms—which Sennott collaborated on with Emma Seligman and starred in alongside her friend The Bear’s standout—would understand that Sennott has a lot to discuss, be it about gender, sex, or the merits of creating a youth fight club. And, once you finish her new multi-episode show titled I Love LA, viewers realize that the star carries additional insights about the darker side of young adulthood (At 30, she serves as a relatable figure of the gang, straddling eras with a knack for connecting millennials and Gen Z).
Influences and Creative Vision
Likenesses to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and the actress is an admirer, naming the show together with the classic series, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as guides for her series, which details the struggles of online personality Tallulah and close companion and aspiring agent Maia. Perhaps, the most significant influence on creative vision was reserved for Entourage, that show depicting an emerging celebrity succeeding in a gritty Hollywood (notable statement: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott discovered it during lockdown, became “obsessed”, and decided to put her own twist on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she notes. The inspiration for the series emerged—in part—from her own, initially difficult, move to Tinseltown and from the cosmic event, a much-talked-about phenomenon for enthusiasts. This represented a time that involved her grasp some big insights, professionally and personally. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she admits. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Starting Out
Brought up in the East Coast, Sennott commenced creating and acting stand-up while enrolled in theatre at NYU’s Tisch. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she says. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
She seized control, appearing at amateur nights with Edebiri and uploading uproarious (and distinctly) bizarre online content on the internet. One, Baby Cult, depicted several females intensely obsessed with pregnancy; a different one envisioned being employed at the brand Hollister as similar to being trapped in a scary movie. Interestingly, she connected with Emma through campus film circles and eventually featuring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a funeral gathering with shades of the Safdie brothers’ movie. A recurring idea of her path, she notes, has been contemporaries offering opportunities, as opposed to traditional networks. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, continuing with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”
Career Breakthrough
Those who questioned regarding her then will surely be feeling foolish now. Through she describes as a “wild, full-circle” story, she appears to achieved her dream vehicle. Previously she uploaded a clip called “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Years later, she’s the co-showrunner (with the co-writer) of a comedy about LA residents managing benefits of online celebrity (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with drawbacks (your friend being accused of being a substance-abusing stealer, and possibly becoming a risky persona non grata). One might tempting to create a series about internet celebrity that was extremely idealized—or, more problematic, one that belittled at its subjects. This show does neither, resulting in a representation of affluent millennial living that’s frank about the grot and the appeal.
Empathetic Approach
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” she observes. “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