The performer appears on the video call and right away begins an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, sounding truly apologetic. Although she's only a bit late, she wants to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Luckily, in this context, this is precisely what one hopes to hear. Besides, it’s fairly unsurprising. Viewers who have seen the fearlessly LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass movie titled Bottoms—which she penned with her creative partner and featured in alongside her friend The Bear’s standout—can already know that Sennott has plenty to discuss, ranging from on identity, sex, or the pros of starting a youth fight club. And, after watching the latest seasonal HBO series titled I Love LA, viewers realize that the star holds even more perspectives regarding the darker side of modern youth (As a millennial, she is a bridge to younger audiences, on the cusp adept for connecting both generations).
Inspirations and Storytelling Approach
Parallels to the iconic series Girls can’t be avoided and Sennott admits to being an admirer, referencing the show alongside the classic series, Insecure and Atlanta as influences for I Love LA, which details the travails of an influencer Tallulah and her friend and aspiring talent manager Sennott’s character. Notably, the most significant presence on the moodboard belonged to Entourage, the HBO sitcom depicting an emerging Hollywood star navigating in an often-seedy Hollywood (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott started watching it during the pandemic, became “captivated”, and decided to add a fresh perspective 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 idea for this project came—to some extent—from firsthand, at first difficult, relocation to LA and from her saturn return, a popular occurrence for enthusiasts. That period marked an era that included her grasp some big truths, in her career and personally. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” 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 was almost like these biblical tests …”
Early Beginnings
Raised in Connecticut, the star started writing and performing humor while enrolled in 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 states. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “None of the university plays cast me either.” “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, performing at amateur nights with her friend and sharing uproarious (and decidedly) unconventional comedy videos digitally. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, depicted a group of women obsessively drawn to having babies; another portrayed being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being stuck in a scary movie. Interestingly, she encountered Seligman through the university’s film scene and ended up starring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful comedy set at a funeral gathering with shades of the intense thriller. The big theme of her career, she notes, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, as opposed to established gatekeepers. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, continuing humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Manifesting Dreams
Those who questioned regarding her previously will likely be kicking themselves today. Through she labels a “incredibly circular” story, she has achieved the perfect project. In 2019 she uploaded a video titled “it’s LA” on social media, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about LA residents balancing the perks of digital stardom (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being suspected of being a drug-addled criminal, and potentially becoming a unreliable pariah). It would be simple to make a program about online fame that was horribly glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that mocked at its subjects. The series does neither, resulting in a depiction of advantaged twentysomething living that’s frank about the mess and the glamour.
Balanced Perspective
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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
