The performer enters the video call and at once begins an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she exclaims, sounding really regretful. She is only slightly delayed, she feels compelled to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Thankfully, during an interview, that’s precisely what is ideal to hear. Moreover, it’s pretty expected. Those who know the unapologetically openly gay and brash film Bottoms—which Sennott collaborated on with the director and featured in alongside close companion the talented actress—would understand that she possesses plenty to say, be it about gender, relationships, or the pros of creating a teen combat group. Plus, by the end the latest seasonal show titled I Love LA, viewers realize that she has additional perspectives regarding the darker side of young adulthood (As a millennial, she represents a bridge to younger audiences, on the cusp adept for bridging both generations).
Influences and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls can’t be avoided and Sennott readily acknowledges enthusiastic, naming it together with the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and the innovative program as guides for the project, which tracks the journey of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend and new talent manager portrayed by Sennott. However, the most significant presence on the moodboard was reserved for Entourage, the HBO sitcom focusing on an emerging Hollywood star succeeding in an often-seedy entertainment industry (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott started watching it throughout the pandemic, became “hooked”, and chose to add a fresh perspective on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she says. The idea for I Love LA emerged—in part—from firsthand, initially difficult, transition to Los Angeles and from the cosmic event, a much-talked-about event for enthusiasts. That period marked an era that saw her grasp major truths, professionally and personally. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she recalls. “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…”
Early Beginnings
Brought up in the East Coast, the star started developing and showcasing stand-up while enrolled in theatre at NYU’s Tisch. “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. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
She decided to act independently, performing at live shows with Edebiri and uploading hilarious (and distinctly) weird comedy videos digitally. One, Baby Cult, followed a group of women obsessively drawn to motherhood; another imagined being employed at a trendy retail outlet as similar to being stuck in a horror film. Interestingly, she connected with Emma through NYU’s movie community and ended up starring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful film set at a Jewish wake with hints of Uncut Gems. A recurring idea of her career, she explains, has been contemporaries supporting her, instead of established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she confirms, continuing with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”
Manifesting Dreams
Individuals who were skeptical about her previously will surely be regretting it currently. In what she describes as a “incredibly circular” story, she seems to have achieved an ideal role. A few years back she shared a video named “it’s LA” online, in which she parodied film promos (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Years later, she’s a lead creator (with her partner) of a show about Angelenos balancing advantages of digital stardom (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with drawbacks (your client being suspected of being a substance-abusing criminal, and perhaps becoming a unreliable pariah). It would be simple to create a show about digital influence that was horribly glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that belittled at the characters. I Love LA does neither, making for a depiction of privileged twentysomething existence that’s frank about the mess and the appeal.
Nuanced Portrayal
“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
