The performer enters the video call and at once starts an explanation. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she states, seeming really remorseful. She is only a bit late, she needs to justify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, during an interview, this is precisely what you want to encounter. Moreover, it’s pretty predictable. Those who have seen the unapologetically LGBTQ+ and outspoken film Bottoms—which Sennott penned with Emma Seligman and featured in together with close companion the talented actress—can already know that she holds plenty to share, ranging from about gender, relationships, or the appeal of forming a high-school fight club. And, once you finish the latest eight-part show I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she holds further perspectives regarding the challenges of modern youth (At 30, Sennott represents a bridge to younger audiences, on the cusp skilled for straddling both generations).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and Sennott admits to being enthusiastic, referencing it alongside the classic series, Insecure and the innovative program as guides for the project, which tracks the struggles of online personality Tallulah and close companion and new agent Sennott’s character. However, the biggest influence on the moodboard was reserved for Entourage, that show depicting a rising Hollywood star making his way in a gritty LA scene (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott started watching it during COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and decided to put her own twist 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 says. The concept for the series emerged—to some extent—from firsthand, originally difficult, relocation to LA and from the astrological phase, a popular event for enthusiasts. It was an era that involved her learn significant truths, professionally 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. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Humble Origins
Raised in the East Coast, Sennott commenced creating and acting stand-up while studying performance at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “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. “None of the university plays cast me either.” “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, performing at open mics with her friend and posting uproarious (and decidedly) unconventional comedy videos on the internet. One, Baby Cult, centered on several females intensely obsessed with pregnancy; a different one portrayed being employed at the brand Hollister as similar to being caught in a thriller. By chance, she encountered Emma through the university’s film scene and ultimately appearing in her initial project, Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a Jewish wake with hints of Uncut Gems. The central motif of her path, she notes, has been people her own age supporting her, instead of established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, stating amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Manifesting Dreams
Anyone who questioned regarding Sennott previously will likely be feeling foolish today. Through she describes as a “wild, full-circle” story, she seems to have created an ideal role. Previously she shared a clip named on LA life online, in which she lampooned film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s the co-showrunner (with her partner) of a show about LA residents juggling advantages of internet fame (such as celebrating at Elijah Wood’s house) with drawbacks (your client being accused of being a drug-addled criminal, and perhaps becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). One might tempting to produce a series about digital influence that was horribly glamorous—or, worse, one that punched down at its subjects. This show avoids both, creating a portrait of advantaged twentysomething existence that’s honest about the mess and the appeal.
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 comments. “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
