The performer appears on the video call and right away begins an explanation. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she states, sounding truly remorseful. Although she's only slightly late, she wants to justify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Thankfully, during an interview, this is exactly what you want to experience. Additionally, it’s quite expected. Anyone who have seen the boldly queer and unapologetically crass project titled Bottoms—which Sennott collaborated on with the director and appeared in with her friend the talented actress—can already know that Sennott holds much to share, be it on gender, sex, or the appeal of starting a youth fight club. And, after watching the new seasonal HBO series I Love LA, viewers realize that she carries additional insights regarding the challenges of young adulthood (Now in her thirties, Sennott serves as a bridge for this generation, on the cusp with a knack for bridging both generations).
Influences and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls are inevitable and the actress is enthusiastic, referencing the show together with the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as influences for I Love LA, which details the travails of online personality Tallulah and her friend who is also new talent manager Maia. Notably, the most significant spot on the moodboard belonged to the popular sitcom, that program focusing on an emerging Hollywood star making his way in a corrupt LA scene (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She began viewing it during the pandemic, became “obsessed”, and chose to add a fresh perspective on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she notes. The concept for the series came—to some extent—from her own, at first fractious, relocation to Los Angeles and from the astrological phase, a much-talked-about event for astrology heads. This represented a phase that saw her understand some big insights, in her career and personally. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she admits. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Starting Out
Raised in New England, Sennott began writing and performing comedy while studying performance at NYU’s Tisch. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she states. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
Sennott decided to act independently, appearing at live shows with her friend and posting uproarious (and distinctly) unconventional skits digitally. One, Baby Cult, centered on characters intensely fixated on pregnancy; a different one envisioned working at the brand Hollister as akin to being stuck in a horror film. Interestingly, she encountered Seligman through the university’s film scene and eventually featuring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a Jewish wake with shades of the Safdie brothers’ movie. A recurring idea of her path, she notes, has been people her own age giving her a shot, as opposed to the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she repeats, stating humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Manifesting Dreams
Anyone who questioned about her previously will certainly be regretting it currently. As part of she labels a “incredibly circular” story, she appears to created an ideal role. Previously she uploaded a video called on LA life on social media, in which she lampooned film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Years later, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a comedy about city dwellers balancing benefits of online celebrity (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with drawbacks (your client being labeled as being a substance-abusing stealer, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). Some could tempting to produce a series about online fame that was overly aspirational—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at the characters. I Love LA steers clear of each, resulting in a portrait of advantaged twentysomething life that’s frank about the mess and the glamour.
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
