The star enters the online meeting and at once begins an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, sounding genuinely remorseful. She is only slightly behind, she feels compelled to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Luckily, in this context, this is precisely what you want to encounter. Besides, it’s quite expected. Those who know her boldly queer and brash movie Bottoms—that she collaborated on with the director and appeared in together with close companion the talented actress—can already know that she holds much to discuss, whether about identity, relationships, or the appeal of creating a high-school fight club. And, once you finish her latest multi-episode HBO series titled I Love LA, viewers realize that she carries even more insights about the challenges of young adulthood (At 30, Sennott serves as a relatable figure to younger audiences, straddling eras skilled for bridging different age groups).
Influences and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show can’t be avoided and Sennott readily acknowledges a fan, citing it alongside Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as influences for her series, which details the struggles of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend and fledgling talent manager portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the biggest influence on the moodboard belonged to the HBO series, the HBO sitcom depicting an up-and-coming Hollywood star succeeding in a corrupt LA scene (memorable line: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott began viewing it during the pandemic, became “captivated”, and chose to add a fresh perspective on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she notes. The concept for this project originated—to some extent—from personal, at first difficult, transition to LA and from the saturn return, a frequently discussed event for followers. That period marked a time that involved her learn some big truths, work-wise and in private life. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she admits. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Humble Origins
Brought up in New England, Sennott commenced writing and performing stand-up while pursuing theatre at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she says. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” 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.”
She took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at open mics with Edebiri and uploading uproarious (and decidedly) weird skits on the internet. A particular video, Baby Cult, centered on several females fetishistically fixated on having babies; a different one portrayed working at the brand Hollister as akin to being stuck in a thriller. By chance, she connected with Seligman through campus film circles and eventually starring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a Jewish wake with hints of the intense thriller. The central motif of her path, she explains, has been people her own age supporting her, instead of established gatekeepers. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “They were not involved”, she confirms, stating amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Rising Success
Those who were skeptical regarding Sennott then will likely be feeling foolish today. Through she describes as a “incredibly circular” story, she has achieved her dream vehicle. A few years back she uploaded a clip named on LA life online, in which she parodied movie previews (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with the co-writer) of a series about Angelenos managing the perks of internet fame (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your client being suspected of being a substance-abusing stealer, and possibly becoming a risky pariah). One might simple to produce a show about online fame that was overly aspirational—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at its subjects. This show steers clear of each, creating a portrait of privileged young adult life that’s honest about the chaos and the glamour.
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
