The actress and writer on her uproarious series portraying the messy glamour of younger generation lifestyle
The star joins the digital interview and immediately starts an apology. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she states, sounding truly apologetic. Despite being only a couple of minutes delayed, she feels compelled to clarify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Fortunately, for a writer, this is just what is ideal to experience. Additionally, it’s quite predictable. Those who know her fearlessly LGBTQ+ and outspoken project titled Bottoms—which Sennott co-wrote with her creative partner and featured in with her friend Ayo Edebiri—can understand that she holds much to say, whether about roles, relationships, or the merits of starting a youth fight club. Plus, by the end her new seasonal HBO series titled I Love LA, it is clear that she holds additional perspectives about the struggles of young adulthood (Now in her thirties, Sennott serves as a bridge to younger audiences, straddling eras adept for straddling both generations).
Inspirations and Creative Vision
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and Sennott admits to being a fan, citing the show in addition to Sex and the City, Insecure and the innovative program as inspirations for I Love LA, which follows the journey of a social media star Tallulah and ally and new talent manager Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the most significant influence on concept was reserved for Entourage, that HBO sitcom focusing on a rising celebrity navigating in a corrupt Hollywood (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She started watching it during COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and resolved to put her own twist on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she explains. The concept for the series originated—to some extent—from firsthand, at first difficult, relocation to Los Angeles and from the astrological phase, a much-talked-about event for astrology heads. It was a phase that included her learn significant truths, work-wise and personally. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she recalls. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Humble Origins
Growing up in the East Coast, the star started developing and showcasing comedy while enrolled in performance at NYU’s Tisch. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she says. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “None of the university plays cast me either.” “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
Sennott seized control, taking the stage at amateur nights with Edebiri and uploading uproarious (and very) weird skits digitally. A particular video, Baby Cult, followed several females fetishistically fixated on pregnancy; another imagined being employed at a trendy retail outlet as akin to being caught in a thriller. Interestingly, she met Seligman through NYU’s movie community and ended up appearing in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a religious event with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The big theme of her path, she says, has been peers giving her a shot, instead of established gatekeepers. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she repeats, stating humorously: “They don’t want us to win.”
Rising Success
Anyone who had doubts regarding her previously will surely be regretting it currently. In what she labels a “astonishingly complete” development, she appears to achieved the perfect project. Previously she posted a clip titled about Los Angeles on social media, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s the co-showrunner (with her partner) of a comedy about city dwellers juggling benefits of internet fame (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with drawbacks (your client being suspected of being a substance-abusing criminal, and potentially becoming a unreliable persona non grata). Some could tempting to produce a series about digital influence that was horribly glamorous—or, more problematic, one that mocked at its subjects. This show steers clear of each, making for a depiction of affluent young adult life that’s frank about the chaos and the shine.
Balanced Perspective
“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