The actress and writer exploring her side-splitting show depicting that grotty glamour of today's youth existence
The star appears on the video call and immediately launches into an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, seeming genuinely apologetic. Although she's only slightly late, she feels compelled to justify. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Luckily, during an interview, this is precisely what one hopes to hear. Moreover, it’s quite expected. Those who know her boldly openly gay and brash movie titled Bottoms—that Sennott penned with her creative partner and featured in alongside close companion The Bear’s standout—would understand that she possesses plenty to say, whether about roles, intimacy, or the pros of forming a high-school brawl society. Plus, once you finish her recent eight-part show I Love LA, viewers realize that she carries additional thoughts about the struggles of young adulthood (At 30, Sennott serves as an honorary member for this generation, straddling eras skilled for connecting different age groups).
Guiding Lights and Storytelling Approach
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show are inevitable and the actress admits to being a fan, naming it alongside the HBO hit, Insecure and the innovative program as inspirations for the project, which follows the journey of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and ally who is also fledgling agent Maia. Notably, the most significant influence on concept went to the popular sitcom, the program depicting an emerging Hollywood star making his way in an often-seedy entertainment industry (memorable line: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott started watching it throughout lockdown, became “obsessed”, and decided to create a new version on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she notes. The idea for I Love LA originated—in part—from firsthand, at first rocky, transition to Los Angeles and from her saturn return, a frequently discussed phenomenon for enthusiasts. This represented an era that involved her understand some big life lessons, in her career and in private life. “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. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Starting Out
Raised in Connecticut, the star started developing and showcasing stand-up while studying acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she says. “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 seized control, taking the stage at amateur nights with her friend and posting hilarious (and very) weird comedy videos on the internet. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, depicted a group of women obsessively fixated on pregnancy; another portrayed working at a trendy retail outlet as similar to being caught in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she encountered Emma through the university’s film scene and ultimately featuring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful comedy set at a Jewish wake with shades of the intense thriller. The big theme of her career, she says, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, instead of established gatekeepers. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she repeats, stating with a laugh: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Rising Success
Individuals who were skeptical regarding Sennott earlier will likely be regretting it today. As part of she labels a “wild, full-circle” development, she seems to have created an ideal role. In 2019 she uploaded content named on LA life on the internet, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Years later, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a show about LA residents managing benefits of digital stardom (such as socializing at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your associate being accused of being a intoxicated thief, and perhaps becoming a “brand unsafe” pariah). Some could simple to create a program about internet celebrity that was overly aspirational—or, worse, one that mocked at its subjects. I Love LA avoids both, creating a depiction of affluent young adult life that’s frank 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