The actress and writer on her hilarious show about the grotty glamour of today's youth existence
The star enters the video call and immediately launches into an excuse. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, seeming genuinely regretful. Although she's only a couple of minutes delayed, she wants to clarify. “My phone conversations always run long.” I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Thankfully, for a writer, this is precisely what one hopes to experience. Additionally, it’s fairly predictable. Those familiar with her fearlessly LGBTQ+ and brash movie Bottoms—which she penned with her creative partner and appeared in with close companion the talented actress—can be aware that Sennott holds plenty to say, ranging from on roles, intimacy, or the pros of forming a high-school brawl society. Plus, by the end her recent seasonal program I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star holds further thoughts regarding the challenges of modern youth (As a millennial, she serves as an honorary member of the gang, on the cusp with a knack for connecting both generations).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
Parallels to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and the actress readily acknowledges a fan, referencing the show alongside Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and Donald Glover’s series as guides for her series, which details the struggles of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and ally and aspiring talent manager Maia. However, the largest influence on the moodboard went to the popular sitcom, that HBO sitcom about an up-and-coming celebrity making his way in a gritty Hollywood (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She discovered it during COVID-19, became “captivated”, and resolved to create a new version on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she notes. The inspiration for I Love LA emerged—partly—from personal, at first fractious, move to Los Angeles and from her saturn return, a popular event for followers. It was a time that included her learn major truths, work-wise and individually. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she says. “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 the East Coast, Sennott started creating and acting humor while enrolled in performance 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. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She took matters into her own hands, appearing at open mics with Ayo and uploading hilarious (and decidedly) weird online content online. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, depicted a group of women intensely drawn to pregnancy; another envisioned working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being stuck in a scary movie. By chance, she encountered Seligman through campus film circles and ultimately featuring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a tense comedy set at a funeral gathering with hints of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her journey, she explains, has been peers giving her a shot, as opposed to established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, continuing amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Manifesting Dreams
Anyone who were skeptical regarding Sennott then will likely be regretting it now. In what she labels a “wild, full-circle” story, she appears to created an ideal role. A few years back she posted content named “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she parodied movie previews (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Years later, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a series about city dwellers managing benefits of online celebrity (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with drawbacks (your associate being labeled as being a substance-abusing thief, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). Some could simple to produce a series about online fame that was horribly glamorous—or, worse, one that punched down at those depicted. The series avoids both, making for a representation of affluent young adult existence that’s candid about the grot and the appeal.
Balanced Perspective
“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
