The performer appears on the video call and immediately launches into an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she exclaims, appearing really apologetic. Despite being only a couple of minutes behind, she feels compelled to explain. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Thankfully, for a writer, that’s precisely what is ideal to encounter. Besides, it’s fairly predictable. Those who have seen the unapologetically queer and brash movie titled Bottoms—which Sennott penned with Emma Seligman and starred in with close companion Ayo Edebiri—can understand that Sennott has plenty to say, ranging from on identity, intimacy, or the merits of creating a high-school combat group. Furthermore, by the end her latest eight-part show titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she has additional insights on the challenges of modern youth (As a millennial, she represents a bridge of the gang, on the cusp skilled for straddling both generations).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and Sennott readily acknowledges enthusiastic, citing it in addition to Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and Donald Glover’s series as influences for I Love LA, which tracks the struggles of online personality Tallulah and close companion and fledgling talent manager Maia. However, the biggest influence on concept belonged to the HBO series, that HBO sitcom focusing on a rising A-list actor succeeding in a corrupt LA scene (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She began viewing it throughout lockdown, became “obsessed”, and decided to put her own twist on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she says. The idea for this project emerged—partly—from personal, originally difficult, move to LA and from her saturn return, a much-talked-about phenomenon for astrology heads. It was an era that involved her grasp major life lessons, in her career and individually. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” 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 New England, Sennott started writing and performing stand-up while enrolled in acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she states. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. 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.”
Sennott decided to act independently, appearing at open mics with Ayo and posting uproarious (and very) unconventional skits online. One, titled Baby Cult, followed several females intensely obsessed with having babies; another envisioned working at the brand Hollister as similar to being trapped in a horror film. Interestingly, she met Seligman through campus film circles and ended up featuring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a religious event with echoes of Uncut Gems. A recurring idea of her career, she explains, has been people her own age giving her a shot, rather than established gatekeepers. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, continuing amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Rising Success
Those who questioned regarding Sennott then will likely be kicking themselves today. In what she describes as a “wild, full-circle” development, she seems to have achieved an ideal role. Previously she posted content titled about Los Angeles on social media, in which she lampooned film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s a lead creator (with the co-writer) of a series about city dwellers juggling benefits of digital stardom (such as socializing at a famous actor’s house) with drawbacks (your client being suspected of being a substance-abusing criminal, and possibly becoming a risky pariah). It would be tempting to create a program about digital influence that was overly aspirational—or, worse, one that belittled at those depicted. The series avoids both, making for a portrait of affluent twentysomething living that’s frank about the grot and the shine.
Balanced Perspective
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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
