The actress and writer discussing her uproarious comedy about that messy glamour of younger generation life
The star joins the digital interview and immediately launches into an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she states, seeming really remorseful. Although she's only a bit delayed, she feels compelled to justify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Luckily, in this context, this is exactly what is ideal to hear. Additionally, it’s fairly expected. Those familiar with her unapologetically openly gay and brash movie Bottoms—which Sennott penned with her creative partner and featured in together with her friend Ayo Edebiri—will be aware that she holds a lot to share, whether on gender, sex, or the appeal of creating a teen combat group. And, by the end her new eight-part program I Love LA, it is clear that the star holds even more perspectives regarding the challenges of modern youth (At 30, Sennott is a bridge to younger audiences, straddling eras adept for connecting different age groups).
Inspirations and Creative Vision
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and the actress readily acknowledges an admirer, citing it together with Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as influences for I Love LA, which details the struggles of an influencer Tallulah and close companion who is also new talent manager portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the largest spot on the moodboard belonged to Entourage, the HBO sitcom focusing on an up-and-coming A-list actor making his way in an often-seedy Hollywood (notable statement: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott started watching it amid lockdown, became “obsessed”, and resolved to put her own twist on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she says. The inspiration for I Love LA emerged—to some extent—from firsthand, at first rocky, relocation to LA and from the saturn return, a popular phenomenon for enthusiasts. It was a phase that saw her grasp some big truths, professionally 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. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Starting Out
Growing up in the East Coast, Sennott commenced developing and showcasing stand-up while enrolled in performance at a prestigious arts school. “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.”
She decided to act independently, taking the stage at live shows with Ayo and sharing hysterical (and very) weird online content digitally. One, titled Baby Cult, followed characters fetishistically obsessed with having babies; a different one portrayed being employed at the brand Hollister as like being stuck in a horror film. By chance, she encountered Seligman through the university’s film scene and ultimately appearing in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a Jewish wake with shades of Uncut Gems. A recurring idea of her career, she says, has been people her own age offering opportunities, rather than the industry at large. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, stating amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”
Rising Success
Anyone who had doubts regarding Sennott earlier will likely be kicking themselves currently. In what she describes as a “wild, full-circle” story, she appears to achieved the perfect project. Previously she shared a video titled “it’s LA” on social media, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Years later, she’s a lead creator (with her partner) of a comedy about LA residents juggling advantages of digital stardom (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with drawbacks (your friend being accused of being a substance-abusing thief, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). It would be easy to make a series about digital influence that was horribly aspirational—or, more problematic, one that mocked at the characters. The series steers clear of each, resulting in a depiction of affluent young adult living that’s frank about the grot and the shine.
Balanced Perspective
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” she says. “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
