The star joins the video call and immediately starts an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she exclaims, appearing really remorseful. Although she's only a couple of minutes delayed, she needs to justify. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, for a writer, that’s exactly what is ideal to experience. Additionally, it’s fairly predictable. Those who know her fearlessly queer and brash project Bottoms—that Sennott collaborated on with the director and featured in with her friend Ayo Edebiri—would be aware that she holds plenty to say, whether on gender, intimacy, or the appeal of forming a high-school fight club. And, after watching the new multi-episode program titled I Love LA, it is clear that the star carries further thoughts regarding the darker side of Gen Z life (Now in her thirties, she represents a relatable figure to younger audiences, straddling eras skilled for straddling millennials and Gen Z).
Influences and Artistic Direction
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and the actress is an admirer, citing it in addition to Sex and the City, Insecure and Atlanta as inspirations for her series, which tracks the travails of an influencer Tallulah and her friend and aspiring representative Maia. However, the biggest influence on the moodboard went to the HBO series, that program depicting a rising celebrity making his way in a gritty LA scene (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott began viewing it during COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and decided to add a fresh perspective on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she notes. The concept for I Love LA originated—to some extent—from personal, at first fractious, relocation to Tinseltown and from her astrological phase, a popular occurrence for enthusiasts. It was an era that included her grasp some big truths, in her career and individually. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she admits. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Humble Origins
Growing up in Connecticut, Sennott started developing and showcasing comedy while studying acting at NYU’s Tisch. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she says. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
Sennott seized control, appearing at amateur nights with her friend and uploading uproarious (and distinctly) weird comedy videos on the internet. One, Baby Cult, centered on several females intensely drawn to having babies; a different one portrayed being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being trapped in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she met Seligman through the university’s film scene and ultimately featuring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a funeral gathering with hints of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her journey, she notes, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, as opposed to established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she emphasizes, stating amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Individuals who had doubts about Sennott earlier will certainly be regretting it now. In what she describes as a “wild, full-circle” development, she appears to created an ideal role. In 2019 she uploaded a video called “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she mocked movie previews (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with her partner) of a show about LA residents juggling the perks of digital stardom (such as socializing at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your client being accused of being a intoxicated criminal, and perhaps becoming a unreliable persona non grata). One might tempting to create a show about online fame that was overly glamorous—or, more problematic, one that belittled at those depicted. I Love LA steers clear of each, making for a portrait of advantaged young adult living that’s frank 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
