The star appears on the video call and immediately begins an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, seeming genuinely apologetic. Although she's only a couple of minutes delayed, she needs to clarify. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Fortunately, in this context, that’s precisely what you want to experience. Additionally, it’s fairly unsurprising. Viewers familiar with the unapologetically queer and outspoken movie Bottoms—which she collaborated on with Emma Seligman and starred in with her friend Ayo Edebiri—will already know that Sennott possesses a lot to say, whether about identity, relationships, or the pros of starting a high-school brawl society. Furthermore, after watching her recent eight-part HBO series titled I Love LA, viewers realize that she carries further insights about the challenges of Gen Z life (As a millennial, she is an honorary member of the gang, a tale-end millennial skilled for bridging millennials and Gen Z).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and the actress admits to being enthusiastic, referencing it in addition to the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as inspirations for the project, which details the travails of online personality Tallulah and close companion who is also new representative portrayed by Sennott. However, the largest spot on the moodboard was reserved for Entourage, the show depicting an emerging Hollywood star navigating in a corrupt entertainment industry (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott began viewing it during lockdown, became “obsessed”, and resolved to add a fresh perspective on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she explains. The inspiration for this project came—in part—from her own, initially fractious, transition to LA and from the cosmic event, a popular occurrence for enthusiasts. This represented an era that included her grasp some big life lessons, 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. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Starting Out
Raised in Connecticut, the star started writing and performing stand-up while pursuing acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she explains. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “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 amateur nights with Edebiri and sharing uproarious (and decidedly) unconventional online content on the internet. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, depicted a group of women fetishistically drawn to pregnancy; a different one portrayed working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being caught in a scary movie. By chance, she encountered Emma through campus film circles and eventually starring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a funeral gathering with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her path, she says, has been people her own age offering opportunities, rather than established gatekeepers. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, adding humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Rising Success
Anyone who were skeptical regarding Sennott earlier will likely be regretting it today. As part of she calls a “incredibly circular” story, she has manifested an ideal role. Previously she shared content named on LA life on social media, in which she parodied Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a show about city dwellers juggling advantages of digital stardom (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your client being accused of being a substance-abusing criminal, and perhaps becoming a risky outcast). It would be easy to make a series about digital influence that was extremely aspirational—or, more problematic, one that punched down at its subjects. I Love LA steers clear of each, making for a portrait of advantaged twentysomething life that’s honest about the mess and the appeal.
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
