The performer enters the video call and right away launches into an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, appearing truly remorseful. Despite being only a bit late, she wants to justify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Fortunately, for a writer, that’s precisely what one hopes to hear. Moreover, it’s pretty expected. Anyone who have seen her unapologetically queer and outspoken film titled Bottoms—that she penned with Emma Seligman and featured in alongside her friend Ayo Edebiri—will already know that she possesses a lot to share, ranging from about gender, sex, or the appeal of creating a teen brawl society. Furthermore, after watching her latest multi-episode show titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she holds even more insights about the darker side of modern youth (Now in her thirties, Sennott represents a relatable figure of the gang, on the cusp with a knack for bridging different age groups).
Inspirations and Creative Vision
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and Sennott admits to being enthusiastic, referencing the show together with the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and Donald Glover’s series as influences for I Love LA, which details the struggles of an influencer Tallulah and close companion who is also aspiring talent manager Maia. Notably, the most significant spot on concept went to the popular sitcom, that HBO sitcom focusing on an emerging Hollywood star making his way in a corrupt entertainment industry (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She started watching it during the pandemic, became “obsessed”, and resolved to create a new version on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she notes. The idea for the series came—partly—from firsthand, originally fractious, relocation to LA and from the astrological phase, a popular occurrence for enthusiasts. That period marked a time that involved her grasp some big truths, professionally and personally. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she admits. “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…”
Starting Out
Raised in the East Coast, Sennott commenced developing and showcasing stand-up while studying theatre at NYU’s Tisch. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she explains. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “None of the university plays cast me either.” And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She seized control, appearing at amateur nights with her friend and posting hilarious (and very) unconventional online content digitally. One, titled Baby Cult, depicted a group of women fetishistically drawn to having babies; a different one envisioned working at the brand Hollister as like being stuck in a scary movie. Interestingly, she encountered Seligman through campus film circles and ultimately appearing in her initial project, Shiva Baby, a tense comedy set at a Jewish wake with echoes of Uncut Gems. A recurring idea of her path, she notes, has been contemporaries supporting her, instead of established gatekeepers. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, adding amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Anyone who questioned about Sennott earlier will surely be feeling foolish today. In what she labels a “incredibly circular” development, she has achieved her dream vehicle. A few years back she uploaded a video called “it’s LA” online, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a comedy about LA residents balancing advantages of digital stardom (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with drawbacks (your associate being accused of being a drug-addled stealer, and perhaps becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). Some could simple to make a show about internet celebrity that was extremely aspirational—or, more problematic, one that belittled at its subjects. I Love LA steers clear of each, creating a portrait of advantaged young adult life that’s frank about the mess and the glamour.
Balanced Perspective
“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” 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
