The performer appears on the video call and immediately starts an apology. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she states, sounding truly remorseful. Despite being only a couple of minutes delayed, she needs to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Fortunately, for a writer, this is exactly what one hopes to experience. Besides, it’s fairly expected. Viewers familiar with her unapologetically LGBTQ+ and outspoken project Bottoms—that Sennott penned with Emma Seligman and appeared in together with her friend the talented actress—will understand that she has plenty to say, ranging from on roles, sex, or the pros of forming a teen brawl society. Plus, after watching her latest multi-episode program titled I Love LA, it is clear that she holds additional thoughts regarding the challenges of young adulthood (As a millennial, Sennott is an honorary member of the gang, a tale-end millennial skilled for bridging both generations).
Influences and Creative Vision
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show are inevitable and the actress is a fan, naming it alongside the classic series, the acclaimed comedy and Donald Glover’s series as guides for I Love LA, which follows the travails of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and ally and fledgling agent Maia. However, the biggest influence on the moodboard belonged to the popular sitcom, that HBO sitcom depicting a rising A-list actor succeeding in a corrupt LA scene (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott started watching it amid lockdown, became “captivated”, and chose 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 concept for the series originated—to some extent—from personal, at first rocky, transition to LA and from her cosmic event, a popular occurrence for followers. That period marked a time that included her understand significant truths, in her career and individually. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she recalls. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Early Beginnings
Growing up in the East Coast, the star began creating and acting comedy while pursuing theatre at NYU’s Tisch. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she states. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
Sennott decided to act independently, taking the stage at live shows with her friend and uploading hysterical (and decidedly) weird online content digitally. A particular video, Baby Cult, centered on several females intensely obsessed with pregnancy; a different one envisioned being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being stuck in a horror film. By chance, she connected with Emma through the university’s film scene and eventually featuring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a funeral gathering with echoes of the intense thriller. The big theme of her journey, she explains, has been people her own age supporting her, rather than established gatekeepers. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she repeats, continuing humorously: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Manifesting Dreams
Those who were skeptical about her previously will likely be feeling foolish now. As part of she describes as a “astonishingly complete” development, she has manifested her dream vehicle. Previously she posted content titled “it’s LA” online, in which she mocked film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with her partner) of a comedy about city dwellers juggling benefits of digital stardom (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with downsides (your client being suspected of being a drug-addled stealer, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). It would be tempting to make a program about online fame that was extremely idealized—or, worse, one that punched down at the characters. This show avoids both, creating a portrait of advantaged millennial living that’s honest about the grot and the appeal.
Balanced Perspective
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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
