The star enters the online meeting and right away begins an apology. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she states, appearing truly apologetic. Although she's only slightly behind, she needs to justify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Luckily, in this context, that’s exactly what one hopes to hear. Besides, it’s quite expected. Those who know the unapologetically openly gay and brash project Bottoms—which Sennott penned with the director and featured in with close companion Ayo Edebiri—would be aware that she has plenty to say, ranging from on identity, sex, or the appeal of creating a teen brawl society. Furthermore, after watching the new eight-part show I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she carries even more perspectives about the darker side of modern youth (At 30, she is a bridge to younger audiences, straddling eras adept for connecting both generations).
Influences and Artistic Direction
Parallels to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and Sennott admits to being a fan, naming the show in addition to the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and the innovative program as inspirations for I Love LA, which follows the travails of an influencer Tallulah and her friend who is also fledgling representative portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the most significant influence on the moodboard was reserved for Entourage, that HBO sitcom about a rising Hollywood star navigating in a corrupt LA scene (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She began viewing it amid lockdown, became “hooked”, 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 explains. The concept for this project came—to some extent—from personal, at first rocky, relocation to Los Angeles and from her cosmic event, a popular event for astrology heads. It was a phase that saw her understand major life lessons, professionally and personally. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she recalls. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Humble Origins
Growing up in New England, the star started creating and acting comedy while studying performance at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she says. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “None of the university plays cast me either.” “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, performing at open mics with her friend and uploading hilarious (and decidedly) weird comedy videos online. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, depicted characters fetishistically obsessed with having babies; a different one portrayed being employed at the brand Hollister as akin to being caught in a scary movie. By chance, she connected with Seligman through campus film circles and ultimately appearing in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a religious event with echoes of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her path, she says, has been people her own age offering opportunities, as opposed to established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she emphasizes, continuing amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”
Manifesting Dreams
Individuals who had doubts about her then will certainly be regretting it currently. As part of she labels a “wild, full-circle” development, she seems to have achieved her dream vehicle. In 2019 she shared a video titled “it’s LA” on social media, in which she parodied movie previews (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with the co-writer) of a show about LA residents juggling the perks of online celebrity (such as partying at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being suspected of being a substance-abusing thief, and perhaps becoming a unreliable persona non grata). It would be easy to make a series about internet celebrity that was overly aspirational—or, even less favorable, one that belittled at those depicted. The series does neither, making for a portrait of privileged twentysomething existence that’s honest about the mess and the shine.
Empathetic Approach
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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
