The star appears on the video call and at once starts an apology. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, sounding really apologetic. Although she's only slightly late, she wants to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Luckily, in this context, this is exactly what you want to hear. Moreover, it’s pretty expected. Those familiar with the boldly openly gay and unapologetically crass film titled Bottoms—that Sennott collaborated on with Emma Seligman and featured in alongside her friend Ayo Edebiri—would be aware that she possesses much to share, be it on identity, sex, or the merits of forming a high-school fight club. Plus, after watching the recent eight-part program titled I Love LA, viewers realize that she has further perspectives regarding the darker side of modern youth (At 30, Sennott serves as a bridge for this generation, straddling eras skilled for straddling millennials and Gen Z).
Influences and Creative Vision
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s Girls are inevitable and Sennott readily acknowledges an admirer, citing it in addition to the HBO hit, Insecure and Donald Glover’s series as guides for I Love LA, which follows the struggles of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion and new representative portrayed by Sennott. However, the largest influence on creative vision was reserved for the HBO series, that show depicting an up-and-coming Hollywood star succeeding in an often-seedy LA scene (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She discovered it amid lockdown, 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 explains. The concept for this project came—to some extent—from personal, at first rocky, relocation to Los Angeles and from the saturn return, a popular event for astrology heads. It was an era that saw her learn some big insights, in her career and in private life. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she recalls. “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
Growing up in New England, Sennott began writing and performing humor while enrolled in acting at a prestigious arts school. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she states. “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. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
Sennott decided to act independently, taking the stage at open mics with her friend and posting hilarious (and very) weird comedy videos on the internet. One, Baby Cult, followed several females obsessively drawn to having babies; another envisioned being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being stuck in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she connected with Seligman through NYU’s movie community and ultimately appearing in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a religious event with hints of Uncut Gems. A recurring idea of her path, she explains, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, as opposed to traditional networks. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, continuing humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Anyone who were skeptical about Sennott earlier will surely be kicking themselves currently. As part of she labels a “astonishingly complete” story, she has created her dream vehicle. A few years back she posted content called about Los Angeles online, in which she lampooned film promos (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Years later, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about Angelenos balancing the perks of internet fame (such as socializing at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your associate being labeled as being a drug-addled stealer, and possibly becoming a risky persona non grata). One might simple to create a show about digital influence that was extremely glamorous—or, worse, one that punched down at its subjects. This show avoids both, creating a portrait of affluent twentysomething living that’s candid about the grot and the appeal.
Balanced Perspective
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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
