The actress and writer exploring her uproarious comedy about the messy allure of today's youth existence
The performer joins the video call and right away begins an excuse. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, sounding genuinely remorseful. She is only a couple of minutes delayed, she feels compelled to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Fortunately, during an interview, that’s just what is ideal to hear. Besides, it’s pretty unsurprising. Those who have seen her fearlessly LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass project Bottoms—which she penned with the director and starred in together with collaborator Ayo Edebiri—can already know that she has much to say, whether on identity, relationships, or the appeal of creating a teen brawl society. Plus, after watching the new eight-part HBO series I Love LA, viewers realize that she has even more thoughts on the darker side of modern youth (As a millennial, Sennott represents a bridge for this generation, straddling eras adept for connecting both generations).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls can’t be avoided and Sennott readily acknowledges enthusiastic, referencing it in addition to the HBO hit, Insecure and the innovative program as guides for her series, which details the struggles of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion who is also new talent manager Maia. However, the most significant influence on the moodboard was reserved for the HBO series, that program about a rising A-list actor succeeding in an often-seedy LA scene (choice quote: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She started watching it amid COVID-19, became “captivated”, and resolved to create a new version 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 says. The inspiration for I Love LA originated—to some extent—from firsthand, initially rocky, relocation to Los Angeles and from her astrological phase, a much-talked-about occurrence for astrology heads. This represented an era that involved her understand significant truths, work-wise and personally. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” 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…”
Early Beginnings
Raised in Connecticut, Sennott commenced developing and showcasing humor while enrolled in 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.”
Sennott seized control, appearing at live shows with Edebiri and posting uproarious (and decidedly) unconventional online content on the internet. One, Baby Cult, centered on several females fetishistically obsessed with motherhood; another imagined working at the brand Hollister as similar to being trapped in a thriller. Interestingly, she connected with Seligman through NYU’s movie community and ended up starring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a religious event with shades of Uncut Gems. A recurring idea of her career, she notes, has been people her own age giving her a shot, as opposed to established gatekeepers. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, continuing humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Those who questioned about her previously will likely be regretting it currently. In what she calls a “astonishingly complete” development, she seems to have created her dream vehicle. In 2019 she shared a clip called on LA life online, in which she parodied movie previews (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a comedy about city dwellers balancing advantages of online celebrity (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your friend being labeled as being a substance-abusing criminal, and perhaps becoming a unreliable outcast). One might tempting to make a program about internet celebrity that was horribly glamorous—or, worse, one that punched down at those depicted. This show avoids both, resulting in a depiction of advantaged twentysomething existence that’s honest about the grot and the shine.
Empathetic Approach
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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