The star joins the online meeting and at once launches into an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, appearing truly remorseful. She is only a bit late, she feels compelled to clarify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Luckily, for a writer, this is exactly what you want to hear. Additionally, it’s pretty predictable. Anyone who have seen the fearlessly queer and unapologetically crass movie Bottoms—that Sennott penned with the director and starred in together with her friend the talented actress—would be aware that Sennott possesses much to discuss, whether on identity, relationships, or the pros of forming a youth brawl society. Furthermore, after watching the new seasonal show I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star carries even more insights on the struggles of modern youth (Now in her thirties, she serves as an honorary member for this generation, on the cusp skilled for bridging millennials and Gen Z).
Influences and Storytelling Approach
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show can’t be avoided and Sennott is enthusiastic, citing the show alongside the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as guides for the project, which follows the journey of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion who is also aspiring agent Maia. Perhaps, the most significant influence on concept went to Entourage, the show focusing on an up-and-coming Hollywood star succeeding in a corrupt entertainment industry (memorable line: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott started watching it amid COVID-19, became “captivated”, and resolved to create a new version on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she says. The concept for this project emerged—partly—from her own, originally fractious, relocation to Los Angeles and from her cosmic event, a popular event for astrology heads. It was a time that included her grasp major life lessons, professionally and personally. “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, the star started writing and performing humor while studying theatre at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” 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. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
Sennott decided to act independently, appearing at amateur nights with Edebiri and posting uproarious (and distinctly) weird online content digitally. One, titled Baby Cult, depicted a group of women intensely obsessed with motherhood; another imagined being employed at a trendy retail outlet as like being caught in a thriller. In a neat twist of fate, she connected with Seligman through NYU’s movie community and ended up appearing in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, a tense comedy set at a Jewish wake with shades of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her career, she explains, has been people her own age offering opportunities, instead of the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she repeats, stating amusedly: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Career Breakthrough
Those who were skeptical about her then will certainly be kicking themselves currently. As part of she calls a “wild, full-circle” turn of events, she seems to have achieved her dream vehicle. A few years back she uploaded content named about Los Angeles on the internet, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Years later, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about Angelenos balancing advantages of internet fame (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with drawbacks (your friend being suspected of being a intoxicated criminal, and perhaps becoming a unreliable persona non grata). Some could simple to produce a show about online fame that was extremely aspirational—or, even less favorable, one that mocked at its subjects. This show steers clear of each, resulting in a representation of privileged young adult existence that’s candid about the mess and the shine.
Nuanced Portrayal
“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
