The actress and writer on her side-splitting series depicting that chaotic allure of younger generation lifestyle
The star enters the digital interview and immediately starts an excuse. “Apologies for the delay!” she exclaims, seeming really regretful. Although she's only a couple of minutes late, she wants to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Thankfully, during an interview, that’s exactly what is ideal to hear. Besides, it’s quite unsurprising. Anyone who have seen her fearlessly openly gay and brash project Bottoms—which Sennott penned with the director and starred in with close companion the talented actress—would understand that she holds much to discuss, be it about gender, sex, or the merits of starting a youth combat group. And, by the end her latest eight-part HBO series I Love LA, it is clear that she carries additional insights on the struggles of Gen Z life (As a millennial, Sennott is a bridge to younger audiences, on the cusp adept for connecting millennials and Gen Z).
Guiding Lights and Creative Vision
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s Girls can’t be avoided and the actress readily acknowledges an admirer, citing the show alongside Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as inspirations for the project, which tracks the struggles of an influencer Tallulah and close companion and aspiring agent Maia. Notably, the largest spot on creative vision went to the popular sitcom, that HBO sitcom depicting an up-and-coming A-list actor navigating in an often-seedy Hollywood (notable statement: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott began viewing it during COVID-19, became “hooked”, and resolved to put her own twist on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she notes. The inspiration for the series emerged—in part—from personal, initially rocky, move to Los Angeles and from the cosmic event, a much-talked-about event for followers. It was a time that saw her learn major truths, professionally and in private life. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she says. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Humble Origins
Growing up in the East Coast, the star commenced creating and acting stand-up while enrolled in theatre at NYU’s Tisch. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she explains. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. 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 open mics with her friend and sharing hilarious (and decidedly) unconventional skits online. A particular video, Baby Cult, followed characters intensely fixated on pregnancy; a different one imagined being employed at a trendy retail outlet as similar to being stuck in a horror film. In a neat twist of fate, she connected with Emma through the university’s film scene and eventually appearing in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a religious event with echoes of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her journey, she says, has been people her own age offering opportunities, rather than established gatekeepers. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Definitely not them”, she emphasizes, adding humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Manifesting Dreams
Anyone who questioned regarding Sennott previously will likely be kicking themselves now. As part of she describes as a “astonishingly complete” story, she seems to have achieved the perfect project. A few years back she posted content titled on LA life online, in which she mocked film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Years later, she’s a lead creator (with Emma Barrie) of a series about city dwellers balancing the perks of internet fame (such as celebrating at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being labeled as being a intoxicated stealer, and possibly becoming a risky outcast). Some could simple to make a show about online fame that was overly glamorous—or, worse, one that punched down at its subjects. I Love LA does neither, making for a portrait of privileged twentysomething living that’s honest about the mess 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
