The star enters the digital interview and immediately begins an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she states, seeming genuinely regretful. Although she's only a bit late, she needs 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, in this context, this is precisely what one hopes to hear. Besides, it’s fairly predictable. Anyone familiar with her unapologetically LGBTQ+ and outspoken project Bottoms—that she penned with the director and featured in alongside close companion the talented actress—can already know that Sennott holds a lot to say, be it on gender, sex, or the appeal of forming a high-school fight club. And, once you finish the latest eight-part HBO series I Love LA, viewers realize that she holds even more insights on the darker side of modern youth (Now in her thirties, she serves as a bridge to younger audiences, on the cusp with a knack for connecting different age groups).
Guiding Lights and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and Sennott readily acknowledges enthusiastic, naming it in addition to the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as inspirations for her series, which details the struggles of an influencer Tallulah and her friend who is also fledgling representative portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the most significant influence on creative vision belonged to the popular sitcom, that HBO sitcom focusing on an emerging Hollywood star making his way in a gritty entertainment industry (memorable line: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott started watching it throughout COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and resolved to add a fresh perspective on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she explains. The idea for the series emerged—to some extent—from firsthand, originally fractious, transition to Los Angeles and from her astrological phase, a frequently discussed phenomenon for astrology heads. This represented a time that saw her learn significant truths, work-wise and personally. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she admits. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Humble Origins
Growing up in the East Coast, the star began creating and acting stand-up while enrolled in performance at a prestigious arts school. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she states. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “None of the university plays cast me either.” “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at amateur nights with Edebiri and uploading hilarious (and very) bizarre comedy videos on the internet. A particular video, Baby Cult, followed characters obsessively fixated on pregnancy; another portrayed working at a trendy retail outlet as akin to being trapped in a scary movie. Interestingly, she connected with Seligman through NYU’s movie community and ultimately featuring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a stressful comedy set at a Jewish wake with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The big theme of her path, she explains, has been peers giving her a shot, as opposed to established gatekeepers. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, adding with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”
Rising Success
Those who questioned regarding her earlier will certainly be kicking themselves today. As part of she calls a “wild, full-circle” turn of events, she has achieved the perfect project. Previously she shared a video titled on LA life on social media, in which she parodied film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Years later, she’s the co-showrunner (with the co-writer) of a comedy about Angelenos managing benefits of online celebrity (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your client being accused of being a substance-abusing thief, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” pariah). It would be easy to produce a series about internet celebrity that was extremely aspirational—or, more problematic, one that punched down at the characters. I Love LA avoids both, making for a portrait of advantaged twentysomething living that’s frank about the mess and the glamour.
Empathetic Approach
“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
