The performer appears on the video call and right away launches into an excuse. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, seeming genuinely apologetic. Despite being only a couple of minutes behind, she feels compelled to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Luckily, for a writer, that’s precisely what is ideal to hear. Besides, it’s quite expected. Anyone familiar with her fearlessly LGBTQ+ and outspoken project Bottoms—which she co-wrote with Emma Seligman and starred in with close companion the talented actress—will already know that Sennott possesses a lot to share, ranging from about roles, intimacy, or the pros of starting a high-school brawl society. Furthermore, after watching the latest multi-episode program I Love LA, it is clear that the star carries further thoughts regarding the darker side of Gen Z life (At 30, Sennott represents a relatable figure of the gang, straddling eras skilled for bridging both generations).
Influences and Storytelling Approach
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and Sennott readily acknowledges enthusiastic, referencing the show alongside Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and the innovative program as guides for the project, which details the struggles of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion and aspiring agent portrayed by Sennott. However, the largest influence on the moodboard belonged to Entourage, the show depicting an up-and-coming celebrity succeeding in a gritty entertainment industry (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott began viewing it amid the pandemic, became “hooked”, and decided to put her own twist on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she explains. The concept for the series came—partly—from firsthand, at first difficult, relocation to LA and from the saturn return, a much-talked-about occurrence for followers. This represented a phase that involved her understand significant life lessons, in her career and in private life. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she says. “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…”
Humble Origins
Brought up in New England, Sennott began creating and acting stand-up while enrolled in performance at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she explains. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
She seized control, performing at amateur nights with Ayo and posting hysterical (and very) unconventional skits digitally. One, Baby Cult, depicted a group of women intensely obsessed with pregnancy; another portrayed being employed at a trendy retail outlet as akin to being caught in a horror film. In a neat twist of fate, she met Seligman through campus film circles and ultimately appearing in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a funeral gathering with echoes of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her career, she explains, has been peers supporting her, as opposed to the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, stating humorously: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Manifesting Dreams
Individuals who were skeptical regarding Sennott then will surely be regretting it today. In what she labels a “incredibly circular” turn of events, she has created an ideal role. In 2019 she shared a video titled “it’s LA” online, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a show about city dwellers juggling the perks of online celebrity (such as socializing at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your client being accused of being a drug-addled stealer, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). One might simple to create a program about internet celebrity that was overly idealized—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at the characters. This show avoids both, making for a portrait of privileged young adult living that’s frank about the grot and the glamour.
Empathetic Approach
“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
