The star enters the video call and immediately launches into an explanation. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she states, sounding genuinely regretful. Although she's only a couple of minutes delayed, she feels compelled to clarify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Fortunately, during an interview, that’s just what is ideal to experience. Additionally, it’s fairly predictable. Anyone familiar with the fearlessly queer and outspoken project Bottoms—which she penned with her creative partner and appeared in alongside collaborator the talented actress—can understand that she holds a lot to say, be it on gender, intimacy, or the merits of creating a high-school fight club. Furthermore, by the end the latest multi-episode show I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star holds even more perspectives regarding the challenges of modern youth (As a millennial, Sennott represents an honorary member to younger audiences, on the cusp adept for straddling both generations).
Inspirations and Storytelling Approach
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show are inevitable and Sennott admits to being an admirer, referencing the show in addition to the classic series, Insecure and Donald Glover’s series as inspirations for the project, which details the struggles of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion who is also new representative portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the largest spot on the moodboard was reserved for Entourage, the program about an up-and-coming celebrity navigating in a gritty Hollywood (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She started watching it amid the pandemic, became “hooked”, and chose to add a fresh perspective 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 explains. The idea for this project originated—in part—from firsthand, originally rocky, transition to Tinseltown and from her saturn return, a frequently discussed event for enthusiasts. That period marked a time that involved her understand significant life lessons, work-wise and personally. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” 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…”
Starting Out
Raised in Connecticut, Sennott began creating and acting humor while studying acting at a prestigious arts school. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she says. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
Sennott decided to act independently, performing at amateur nights with Edebiri and uploading hysterical (and distinctly) unconventional comedy videos on the internet. One, titled Baby Cult, followed characters intensely obsessed with having babies; a different one portrayed being employed at the brand Hollister as like being stuck in a scary movie. By chance, she connected with Seligman through NYU’s movie community and ultimately appearing in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a Jewish wake with shades of the intense thriller. The big theme of her journey, she explains, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, instead of the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, continuing with a laugh: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Rising Success
Anyone who were skeptical regarding Sennott previously will surely be regretting it now. As part of she describes as a “wild, full-circle” development, she appears to created the perfect project. Previously she posted a video called about Los Angeles on social media, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with the co-writer) of a show about LA residents balancing benefits of digital stardom (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with drawbacks (your client being accused of being a intoxicated criminal, and potentially becoming a risky pariah). One might easy to create a series about online fame that was extremely aspirational—or, even less favorable, one that belittled at the characters. I Love LA steers clear of each, creating a depiction of affluent millennial life that’s honest about the chaos and the shine.
Empathetic Approach
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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
