The performer enters the digital interview and immediately starts an apology. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, seeming really remorseful. She is only a bit behind, she needs to clarify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Luckily, during an interview, that’s precisely what you want to encounter. Moreover, it’s quite unsurprising. Those who have seen the fearlessly queer and unapologetically crass film Bottoms—which she collaborated on with the director and appeared in with her friend The Bear’s standout—can already know that she possesses much to say, ranging from on identity, intimacy, or the pros of creating a high-school brawl society. And, once you finish the latest multi-episode HBO series titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she carries even more thoughts about the challenges of Gen Z life (As a millennial, she serves as a relatable figure to younger audiences, on the cusp with a knack for straddling both generations).
Guiding Lights and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and the actress admits to being an admirer, naming the show together with Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and the innovative program as inspirations for the project, which tracks the struggles of an influencer Tallulah and her friend who is also new talent manager portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the most significant spot on concept went to Entourage, that HBO sitcom about an up-and-coming Hollywood star navigating in a gritty Hollywood (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She started watching it amid lockdown, became “obsessed”, and chose to create a new version on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she notes. The inspiration for I Love LA emerged—partly—from firsthand, at first fractious, move to LA and from the astrological phase, a much-talked-about phenomenon for enthusiasts. This represented a phase that included her grasp some big life lessons, work-wise and personally. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” 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…”
Starting Out
Brought up in New England, the star started creating and acting comedy while pursuing performance at a prestigious arts school. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” 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.”
She seized control, appearing at live shows with her friend and sharing uproarious (and distinctly) weird comedy videos digitally. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, followed characters obsessively obsessed with motherhood; a different one imagined working at a trendy retail outlet as similar to being caught in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she met Emma through campus film circles and ultimately appearing in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a religious event with echoes of the intense thriller. The central motif of her journey, she notes, has been people her own age offering opportunities, instead of the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, stating amusedly: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Manifesting Dreams
Anyone who had doubts regarding Sennott previously will likely be regretting it now. Through she labels a “incredibly circular” development, she seems to have created the perfect project. Previously she posted content called about Los Angeles on social media, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a series about LA residents juggling advantages of internet fame (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your client being accused of being a intoxicated thief, and possibly becoming a unreliable persona non grata). Some could simple to produce a show about digital influence that was overly aspirational—or, even less favorable, one that belittled at the characters. This show steers clear of each, creating a portrait of affluent twentysomething existence that’s frank about the grot and the shine.
Balanced Perspective
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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
