The performer joins the online meeting and immediately starts an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she states, sounding genuinely apologetic. Although she's only a bit delayed, she needs to justify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Thankfully, during an interview, this is precisely what one hopes to experience. Moreover, it’s quite predictable. Viewers who have seen her boldly openly gay and outspoken movie Bottoms—which she collaborated on with her creative partner and appeared in together with collaborator the talented actress—would understand that Sennott holds plenty to say, be it about roles, intimacy, or the merits of forming a youth fight club. And, after watching her recent multi-episode program I Love LA, viewers realize that the star carries even more insights on the challenges of young adulthood (At 30, Sennott is a relatable figure for this generation, straddling eras adept for straddling different age groups).
Guiding Lights and Storytelling Approach
Parallels to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and Sennott admits to being enthusiastic, referencing the show alongside the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and Donald Glover’s series as inspirations for I Love LA, which details the journey of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion who is also new agent Maia. Perhaps, the biggest presence on the moodboard went to Entourage, that HBO sitcom about a rising celebrity making his way in a gritty LA scene (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott discovered it throughout COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and resolved to create a new version on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she notes. The inspiration for I Love LA came—partly—from personal, at first rocky, relocation to Tinseltown and from her astrological phase, a much-talked-about event for astrology heads. It was a time that included her learn some big insights, professionally and personally. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she says. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Early Beginnings
Raised in Connecticut, the star started writing and performing stand-up while studying performance at NYU’s Tisch. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she states. “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. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
Sennott decided to act independently, appearing at open mics with Ayo and posting uproarious (and very) unconventional comedy videos online. One, titled Baby Cult, followed a group of women fetishistically fixated on pregnancy; another portrayed being employed at a trendy retail outlet as like being stuck in a thriller. By chance, she met Emma through NYU’s movie community and ultimately starring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a Jewish wake with hints of the intense thriller. The big theme of her journey, she explains, has been people her own age supporting her, as opposed to traditional networks. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “They were not involved”, she repeats, stating amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Rising Success
Anyone who questioned regarding Sennott previously will surely be feeling foolish today. As part of she describes as a “incredibly circular” turn of events, she has created the perfect project. Previously she shared a video named on LA life on social media, in which she parodied film promos (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Years later, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a show about Angelenos managing the perks of online celebrity (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your associate being accused of being a substance-abusing stealer, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” pariah). It would be easy to create a show about online fame that was overly idealized—or, more problematic, one that belittled at its subjects. The series does neither, creating a portrait of affluent millennial living that’s frank about the chaos and the shine.
Balanced Perspective
“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
