The star joins the online meeting and immediately begins an explanation. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, appearing really regretful. Although she's only a bit late, 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 exactly what one hopes to hear. Moreover, it’s pretty predictable. Those who have seen her unapologetically openly gay and unapologetically crass film titled Bottoms—which Sennott collaborated on with her creative partner and starred in with collaborator the talented actress—will understand that Sennott has much to discuss, ranging from on roles, relationships, or the appeal of starting a teen fight club. Plus, after watching her latest multi-episode program titled I Love LA, it is clear that she holds further perspectives on the struggles of Gen Z life (Now in her thirties, Sennott serves as a relatable figure to younger audiences, a tale-end millennial adept for straddling millennials and Gen Z).
Inspirations and Creative Vision
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show can’t be avoided and the actress is enthusiastic, citing the show alongside the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and Donald Glover’s series as influences for the project, which follows the journey of online personality Tallulah and close companion and fledgling talent manager Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the most significant influence on concept belonged to the HBO series, the program depicting an up-and-coming A-list actor navigating in a corrupt entertainment industry (memorable line: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She started watching it amid the pandemic, became “hooked”, and decided to put her own twist on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she says. The idea for this project came—partly—from personal, at first difficult, relocation to LA and from her astrological phase, a frequently discussed event for astrology heads. That period marked an era that saw her learn some big truths, in her career and in private life. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she says. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Humble Origins
Brought up in New England, Sennott commenced creating and acting humor while enrolled in theatre at a prestigious arts school. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she says. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “None of the university plays cast me either.” “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
Sennott seized control, taking the stage at live shows with her friend and posting hilarious (and very) weird comedy videos online. One, Baby Cult, followed a group of women intensely drawn to pregnancy; a different one imagined working at the brand Hollister as similar to being stuck in a horror film. By chance, she met Emma through the university’s film scene and eventually starring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a funeral gathering with hints of Uncut Gems. The central motif of her career, she explains, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, rather than traditional networks. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, stating amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Manifesting Dreams
Anyone who questioned about Sennott earlier will likely be kicking themselves now. As part of she calls a “wild, full-circle” turn of events, she seems to have created an ideal role. In 2019 she shared a video titled on LA life on the internet, in which she lampooned film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about Angelenos juggling the perks of internet fame (such as socializing at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your associate being labeled as being a drug-addled criminal, and perhaps becoming a unreliable outcast). It would be tempting to produce a program about internet celebrity that was overly idealized—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at its subjects. I Love LA steers clear of each, making for a depiction of affluent twentysomething existence that’s frank about the mess 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 says. “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
