The performer joins the digital interview and immediately launches into an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, seeming truly regretful. Despite being only a bit behind, she needs to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Luckily, in this context, this is exactly what one hopes to hear. Besides, it’s quite predictable. Anyone who know the fearlessly LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass film Bottoms—that she collaborated on with the director and starred in with collaborator Ayo Edebiri—can already know that Sennott possesses much to say, ranging from on identity, sex, or the appeal of creating a teen combat group. And, once you finish the new eight-part show I Love LA, viewers realize that she carries even more insights about the challenges of modern youth (As a millennial, Sennott serves as a relatable figure for this generation, a tale-end millennial adept for bridging both generations).
Guiding Lights and Artistic Direction
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show are inevitable and the actress readily acknowledges an admirer, referencing the show in addition to the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as guides for I Love LA, which follows the struggles of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and ally who is also aspiring representative Maia. Notably, the biggest spot on concept belonged to Entourage, that HBO sitcom focusing on an emerging celebrity making his way in an often-seedy LA scene (notable statement: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott began viewing it throughout COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and chose 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 I Love LA emerged—to some extent—from her own, originally fractious, relocation to Tinseltown and from the saturn return, a much-talked-about event for followers. This represented an era that saw her grasp major truths, professionally and in private life. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” 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 …”
Starting Out
Growing up in the East Coast, Sennott started developing and showcasing stand-up while enrolled in performance at a prestigious arts school. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she says. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “None of the university plays cast me either.” “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, appearing at open mics with Edebiri and sharing hilarious (and decidedly) weird skits on the internet. One, titled Baby Cult, centered on several females obsessively drawn to motherhood; another portrayed being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being trapped in a horror film. By chance, she met Emma through NYU’s movie community and ended up appearing in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a religious event with echoes of Uncut Gems. The central motif of her career, she notes, has been people her own age offering opportunities, as opposed to traditional networks. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Not the gatekeepers”, she repeats, stating with a laugh: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Manifesting Dreams
Individuals who questioned about Sennott previously will certainly be kicking themselves today. Through she labels a “astonishingly complete” turn of events, she seems to have achieved an ideal role. A few years back she uploaded content called on LA life online, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Six years on, she’s a lead creator (with the co-writer) of a show about LA residents managing the perks of digital stardom (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your client being suspected of being a drug-addled criminal, and potentially becoming a unreliable pariah). Some could easy to create a program about digital influence that was horribly glamorous—or, more problematic, one that mocked at the characters. I Love LA does neither, making for a representation of affluent twentysomething existence that’s candid about the mess and the shine.
Empathetic Approach
“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
