The actress and writer exploring her side-splitting series depicting that messy glamour of younger generation life
The performer appears on the video call and right away starts an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, sounding truly remorseful. Despite being only a couple of minutes delayed, she feels compelled to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Fortunately, in this context, this is just what one hopes to experience. Besides, it’s fairly unsurprising. Viewers who have seen the fearlessly openly gay and outspoken project Bottoms—which she co-wrote with her creative partner and featured in together with collaborator The Bear’s standout—can be aware that she holds much to discuss, ranging from on identity, intimacy, or the pros of creating a high-school brawl society. Plus, once you finish the recent eight-part program I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star has additional perspectives on the darker side of young adulthood (As a millennial, she serves as a relatable figure for this generation, on the cusp adept for connecting both generations).
Influences and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and Sennott admits to being a fan, naming it together with the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as inspirations for I Love LA, which tracks the struggles of a social media star Tallulah and close companion and fledgling representative portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the largest spot on the moodboard belonged to the HBO series, the HBO sitcom focusing on an up-and-coming celebrity succeeding in a corrupt Hollywood (notable statement: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She began viewing it during lockdown, became “obsessed”, 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 says. The idea for the series emerged—to some extent—from firsthand, initially fractious, relocation to Tinseltown and from her saturn return, a frequently discussed occurrence for followers. This represented a time that involved her grasp major insights, professionally and personally. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she says. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Humble Origins
Growing up in the East Coast, the star started creating and acting humor while studying acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she explains. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
She seized control, taking the stage at open mics with Ayo and sharing hysterical (and decidedly) weird skits online. One, titled Baby Cult, centered on characters obsessively fixated on pregnancy; another portrayed working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being stuck in a horror film. By chance, she met Emma through NYU’s movie community and ended up featuring in her first film, Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a religious event with shades of Uncut Gems. The central motif of her path, she notes, has been contemporaries offering opportunities, as opposed to established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she repeats, continuing amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”
Rising Success
Anyone who had doubts regarding Sennott previously will likely be regretting it currently. As part of she calls a “incredibly circular” story, she has achieved the perfect project. A few years back she uploaded a clip named “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she lampooned movie previews (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a series about LA residents juggling benefits of online celebrity (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your associate being suspected of being a intoxicated stealer, and possibly becoming a unreliable pariah). It would be easy to produce a program about online fame that was extremely idealized—or, more problematic, one that mocked at those depicted. I Love LA does neither, making for a representation of affluent millennial existence that’s candid about the grot and the shine.
Nuanced Portrayal
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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