The performer enters the online meeting and at once starts an apology. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, appearing truly remorseful. Despite being only a couple of minutes late, she needs to explain. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Luckily, for a writer, that’s just what is ideal to encounter. Additionally, it’s pretty unsurprising. Viewers who know the fearlessly queer and brash movie Bottoms—which she co-wrote with the director and featured in together with close companion Ayo Edebiri—would understand that Sennott holds much to share, whether about identity, sex, or the pros of forming a youth brawl society. Furthermore, once you finish the latest multi-episode program I Love LA, it is clear that she holds additional thoughts on the struggles of Gen Z life (Now in her thirties, Sennott is a relatable figure to younger audiences, straddling eras with a knack for bridging millennials and Gen Z).
Influences and Storytelling Approach
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show are inevitable and the actress is a fan, citing it alongside Sex and the City, Insecure and the innovative program as guides for I Love LA, which details the struggles of online personality Tallulah and her friend who is also aspiring agent Maia. Notably, the biggest presence on the moodboard went to Entourage, the program focusing on a rising A-list actor navigating in an often-seedy LA scene (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott started watching it throughout COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and resolved to create a new version on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she explains. The inspiration for the series came—partly—from firsthand, originally rocky, relocation to LA and from her astrological phase, a frequently discussed occurrence for enthusiasts. That period marked an era that included her grasp some big insights, work-wise and in private life. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” 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…”
Humble Origins
Brought up in Connecticut, Sennott began creating and acting comedy while enrolled in acting at a prestigious arts school. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she states. “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. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
She took matters into her own hands, appearing at amateur nights with her friend and sharing hilarious (and distinctly) unconventional skits online. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, centered on characters fetishistically fixated on pregnancy; another imagined being employed at a trendy retail outlet as akin to being stuck in a scary movie. Interestingly, she encountered Emma through campus film circles and ended up appearing in her initial project, 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 people her own age giving her a shot, rather than the industry at large. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she repeats, adding amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Rising Success
Anyone who questioned about Sennott earlier will likely be kicking themselves now. In what she calls a “wild, full-circle” story, she seems to have created her dream vehicle. A few years back she uploaded content called on LA life on the internet, in which she lampooned movie previews (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a show about LA residents balancing the perks of digital stardom (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with downsides (your associate being labeled as being a substance-abusing criminal, and perhaps becoming a unreliable persona non grata). Some could easy to make a show about online fame that was extremely glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at its subjects. I Love LA does neither, making for a representation of privileged young adult existence that’s candid about the grot 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