The star enters the video call and at once starts an explanation. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, appearing really apologetic. Although she's only slightly late, she feels compelled to clarify. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, for a writer, this is precisely what is ideal to encounter. Moreover, it’s quite unsurprising. Viewers who know her unapologetically openly gay and outspoken project Bottoms—which she collaborated on with the director and starred in alongside her friend the talented actress—can already know that Sennott has plenty to discuss, whether on roles, relationships, or the appeal of starting a teen combat group. Plus, by the end the recent seasonal HBO series I Love LA, viewers realize that the star has even more perspectives regarding the challenges of Gen Z life (As a millennial, she is an honorary member to younger audiences, on the cusp with a knack for bridging millennials and Gen Z).
Influences and Artistic Direction
Parallels to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and the actress readily acknowledges enthusiastic, naming the show alongside Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as guides for the project, which tracks the journey of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and ally and new representative Sennott’s character. However, the largest presence on the moodboard belonged to Entourage, that show depicting an up-and-coming A-list actor navigating in a gritty Hollywood (notable statement: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She discovered it during lockdown, became “captivated”, 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 concept for the series came—in part—from her own, originally fractious, transition to Los Angeles and from the cosmic event, a popular event for enthusiasts. It was a phase that saw her grasp some big life lessons, work-wise and individually. “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 resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Humble Origins
Growing up in the East Coast, the star began developing and showcasing comedy while enrolled in acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she says. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
She took matters into her own hands, appearing at live shows with Ayo and sharing hysterical (and distinctly) weird skits on the internet. A particular video, Baby Cult, followed several females intensely drawn to having babies; another envisioned working at a trendy retail outlet as similar to being stuck in a thriller. Interestingly, she connected with Emma through campus film circles and ended up starring in her first film, Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a Jewish wake with hints of the Safdie brothers’ movie. A recurring idea of her journey, she says, has been people her own age offering opportunities, rather than the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, continuing with a laugh: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Rising Success
Individuals who were skeptical about Sennott earlier will likely be feeling foolish currently. As part of she describes as a “astonishingly complete” development, she seems to have created an ideal role. In 2019 she posted a video named on LA life on social media, in which she mocked movie previews (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Years later, she’s the co-showrunner (with her partner) of a series about Angelenos juggling benefits of online celebrity (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with drawbacks (your friend being accused of being a substance-abusing criminal, and perhaps becoming a unreliable pariah). It would be tempting to produce a series about online fame that was horribly idealized—or, more problematic, one that mocked at its subjects. I Love LA steers clear of each, creating a portrait of advantaged millennial life that’s honest about the mess and the shine.
Empathetic Approach
“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
