The actress and writer exploring her side-splitting comedy depicting the grotty allure of younger generation life
The star appears on the video call and right away starts an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, appearing really apologetic. She is only slightly late, she feels compelled to clarify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Thankfully, in this context, this is precisely what is ideal to encounter. Besides, it’s pretty expected. Viewers familiar with her fearlessly LGBTQ+ and outspoken project Bottoms—which Sennott co-wrote with her creative partner and starred in with collaborator the talented actress—can be aware that she holds plenty to say, be it on roles, sex, or the merits of starting a youth brawl society. And, after watching the latest multi-episode show titled I Love LA, viewers realize that the star holds additional insights about the darker side of modern youth (At 30, she serves as a relatable figure for this generation, a tale-end millennial with a knack for connecting both generations).
Influences and Storytelling Approach
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show are inevitable and Sennott readily acknowledges a fan, naming it alongside the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as inspirations for her series, which details the journey of an influencer Tallulah and close companion and aspiring talent manager portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the biggest spot on concept was reserved for the popular sitcom, that program depicting an up-and-coming Hollywood star succeeding in a gritty LA scene (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott started watching it during lockdown, became “captivated”, and resolved to add a fresh perspective on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she notes. The inspiration for this project emerged—in part—from firsthand, at first difficult, move to Tinseltown and from the astrological phase, a frequently discussed event for enthusiasts. That period marked a time that involved her grasp significant truths, work-wise and personally. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she recalls. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Humble Origins
Growing up in New England, Sennott began creating and acting comedy while studying theatre at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she explains. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
She decided to act independently, appearing at live shows with Ayo and uploading hysterical (and distinctly) bizarre comedy videos digitally. One, titled Baby Cult, centered on several females intensely drawn to pregnancy; a different one imagined working at the brand Hollister as akin to being stuck in a scary movie. Interestingly, she encountered Seligman through NYU’s movie community and ended up appearing in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a religious event with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The big theme of her career, she notes, has been people her own age giving her a shot, instead of traditional networks. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, stating with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”
Rising Success
Anyone who had doubts regarding Sennott earlier will surely be regretting it currently. In what she calls a “astonishingly complete” story, she seems to have created her dream vehicle. Previously she uploaded a clip named “it’s LA” online, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with her partner) of a comedy about Angelenos managing benefits of internet fame (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your client being accused of being a intoxicated stealer, and perhaps becoming a risky persona non grata). Some could simple to produce a program about internet celebrity that was extremely aspirational—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at those depicted. I Love LA does neither, creating a portrait of advantaged young adult life that’s honest about the chaos and the shine.
Empathetic Approach
“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