The actress and writer exploring the hilarious comedy portraying the messy allure of Gen Z existence
The star appears on the online meeting and at once starts an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, appearing truly regretful. She is only a bit delayed, she wants to justify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Luckily, during an interview, that’s precisely what is ideal to encounter. Additionally, it’s pretty expected. Viewers familiar with the fearlessly LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass project titled Bottoms—that Sennott penned with Emma Seligman and appeared in alongside her friend The Bear’s standout—would be aware that Sennott possesses a lot to say, be it on roles, relationships, or the appeal of creating a teen brawl society. Furthermore, once you finish her recent multi-episode show I Love LA, viewers realize that the star has additional thoughts about the challenges of modern youth (As a millennial, she serves as a relatable figure of the gang, on the cusp adept for bridging millennials and Gen Z).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show are inevitable and Sennott readily acknowledges enthusiastic, citing it together with Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and Donald Glover’s series as inspirations for the project, which details the struggles of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and ally who is also fledgling agent Sennott’s character. However, the biggest influence on concept belonged to the HBO series, that HBO sitcom depicting an emerging Hollywood star making his way in a corrupt Hollywood (choice quote: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She started watching it during lockdown, became “hooked”, and chose to add a fresh perspective on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she notes. The inspiration for this project came—to some extent—from personal, originally difficult, relocation to Los Angeles and from the astrological phase, a much-talked-about event for enthusiasts. That period marked an era that involved her grasp significant life lessons, in her career and personally. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she recalls. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Early Beginnings
Growing up in Connecticut, the star started creating and acting comedy while pursuing acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she states. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “None of the university plays cast me either.” “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
She seized control, performing at open mics with Ayo and posting uproarious (and distinctly) unconventional comedy videos digitally. A particular video, Baby Cult, centered on a group of women intensely drawn to having babies; a different one imagined working at a trendy retail outlet as akin to being trapped in a scary movie. Interestingly, she met Seligman through campus film circles and ended up featuring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a Jewish wake with shades of the intense thriller. The big theme of her journey, she says, has been peers offering opportunities, instead of established gatekeepers. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she repeats, adding with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”
Rising Success
Anyone who questioned about Sennott earlier will likely be regretting it today. In what she calls a “astonishingly complete” story, she has created an ideal role. Previously she shared a clip called “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Six years on, she’s a lead creator (with the co-writer) of a show about Angelenos managing the perks of digital stardom (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your associate being suspected of being a drug-addled stealer, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). One might simple to create a series about internet celebrity that was overly idealized—or, worse, one that punched down at those depicted. I Love LA avoids both, creating a depiction of privileged millennial life that’s candid about the grot and the appeal.
Nuanced Portrayal
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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