The performer appears on the video call and immediately launches into an excuse. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, appearing really apologetic. She is only a bit delayed, she needs 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!” Fortunately, during an interview, this is exactly what you want to encounter. Moreover, it’s quite unsurprising. Those familiar with her boldly openly gay and unapologetically crass film titled Bottoms—that Sennott collaborated on with Emma Seligman and starred in alongside close companion the talented actress—would already know that Sennott holds a lot to say, be it on identity, sex, or the pros of forming a youth fight club. And, once you finish the latest eight-part show I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she has further thoughts regarding the struggles of Gen Z life (As a millennial, Sennott serves as an honorary member of the gang, a tale-end millennial adept for straddling millennials and Gen Z).
Guiding Lights and Storytelling Approach
The comparisons to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and Sennott admits to being an admirer, naming it in addition to the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as inspirations for her series, which details the journey of an influencer Tallulah and ally and aspiring representative Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the biggest presence on concept belonged to the HBO series, that program depicting an up-and-coming celebrity navigating in an often-seedy Hollywood (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott began viewing it amid COVID-19, became “captivated”, and chose to add a fresh perspective on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she says. The inspiration for the series originated—partly—from personal, originally difficult, transition to Tinseltown and from the saturn return, a frequently discussed occurrence for followers. That period marked a phase that saw her grasp some big insights, professionally and in private life. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” 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
Raised in the East Coast, Sennott began writing and performing comedy while pursuing performance at NYU’s Tisch. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she explains. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” 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.”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, appearing at live shows with her friend and sharing hysterical (and very) unconventional online content online. One, Baby Cult, centered on characters fetishistically fixated on motherhood; a different one envisioned working at the brand Hollister as similar to being stuck in a horror film. By chance, she connected with Emma through campus film circles and ended up appearing in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a religious event with hints of the intense thriller. The big theme of her path, she notes, has been peers giving her a shot, as opposed to established gatekeepers. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, stating with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”
Manifesting Dreams
Anyone who were skeptical about her earlier will surely be regretting it today. In what she describes as a “wild, full-circle” turn of events, she seems to have created an ideal role. Previously she shared a video titled “it’s LA” on social media, in which she lampooned film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Six years on, she’s the co-showrunner (with the co-writer) of a show about Angelenos juggling the perks of digital stardom (such as celebrating at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your client being labeled as being a intoxicated thief, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” pariah). One might simple to produce a program about online fame that was extremely glamorous—or, worse, one that punched down at the characters. This show steers clear of each, creating a depiction of advantaged millennial life that’s honest about the grot 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
