The star appears on the video call and right away launches into an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, seeming genuinely remorseful. She is only a bit late, she feels compelled to justify. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Fortunately, during an interview, that’s exactly what you want to experience. Besides, it’s fairly unsurprising. Viewers familiar with her unapologetically LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass film titled Bottoms—which she penned with her creative partner and appeared in alongside close companion The Bear’s standout—will understand that she possesses much to share, whether on roles, relationships, or the merits of creating a high-school brawl society. And, once you finish her new multi-episode HBO series I Love LA, viewers realize that the star holds even more thoughts on the struggles of modern youth (As a millennial, Sennott represents a relatable figure to younger audiences, a tale-end millennial skilled for bridging both generations).
Guiding Lights and Artistic Direction
Parallels to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and the actress admits to being an admirer, referencing it together with Sex and the City, Insecure and Donald Glover’s series as influences for the project, which tracks the journey of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and ally and fledgling talent manager Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the most significant spot on the moodboard was reserved for Entourage, the program depicting a rising Hollywood star succeeding in an often-seedy entertainment industry (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She discovered it throughout the pandemic, became “hooked”, and chose to create a new version on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“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—in part—from firsthand, at first fractious, relocation to Los Angeles and from the saturn return, a much-talked-about event for followers. It was a phase that saw her learn some big insights, in her career and personally. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she says. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Humble Origins
Raised in Connecticut, the star commenced writing and performing stand-up while pursuing theatre at a prestigious arts school. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she states. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “None of the university plays cast me either.” And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She decided to act independently, appearing at open mics with Ayo and uploading hilarious (and very) bizarre skits online. One, titled Baby Cult, followed characters obsessively fixated on having babies; a different one portrayed working at a trendy retail outlet as akin to being stuck in a horror film. By chance, she connected with Seligman through NYU’s movie community and ultimately starring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a funeral gathering with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. A recurring idea of her career, she notes, has been people her own age supporting her, rather than the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she emphasizes, continuing with a laugh: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Career Breakthrough
Those who were skeptical regarding Sennott earlier will certainly be regretting it currently. Through she describes as a “wild, full-circle” development, she has created an ideal role. Previously she posted a video called “it’s LA” online, in which she parodied film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a show about Angelenos managing benefits of online celebrity (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being labeled as being a intoxicated stealer, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). Some could simple to make a program about internet celebrity that was overly idealized—or, even less favorable, one that mocked at those depicted. I Love LA steers clear of each, creating a depiction of advantaged millennial living that’s honest about the chaos and the shine.
Nuanced Portrayal
“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” 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
