The performer enters the video call and right away launches into an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, appearing really apologetic. Although she's only slightly behind, she wants to clarify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Fortunately, in this context, that’s precisely what one hopes to experience. Besides, it’s pretty predictable. Those who have seen her fearlessly queer and brash film Bottoms—which Sennott co-wrote with Emma Seligman and featured in together with collaborator the talented actress—can already know that she holds a lot to discuss, whether on gender, relationships, or the appeal of forming a high-school combat group. Plus, once you finish the recent seasonal HBO series I Love LA, viewers realize that the star has additional insights regarding the darker side of young adulthood (At 30, she serves as a relatable figure for this generation, on the cusp with a knack for connecting different age groups).
Influences and Artistic Direction
The comparisons to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and Sennott is enthusiastic, naming it in addition to the classic series, Insecure and Donald Glover’s series as inspirations for I Love LA, which tracks the travails of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend who is also new agent portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the biggest influence on the moodboard was reserved for Entourage, the program depicting an emerging A-list actor succeeding in a corrupt LA scene (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She started watching it throughout lockdown, became “obsessed”, and resolved to put her own twist on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she explains. The idea for this project originated—partly—from firsthand, originally difficult, relocation to Los Angeles and from her cosmic event, a popular phenomenon for enthusiasts. It was a time that included her grasp some big insights, in her career and in private life. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she admits. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Humble Origins
Growing up in New England, Sennott began creating and acting comedy while pursuing theatre at a prestigious arts school. “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. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
Sennott seized control, performing at live shows with Ayo and sharing hysterical (and decidedly) bizarre skits online. One, titled Baby Cult, centered on characters fetishistically drawn to pregnancy; another portrayed working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being stuck in a horror film. Interestingly, she met Emma through NYU’s movie community and eventually featuring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a Jewish wake with hints of the intense thriller. The big theme of her career, she notes, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, as opposed to the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, continuing humorously: “They don’t want us to win.”
Career Breakthrough
Those who questioned about her previously will certainly be kicking themselves today. In what she labels a “wild, full-circle” story, she appears to achieved the perfect project. Previously she shared a clip named about Los Angeles on social media, in which she mocked film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Years later, she’s a lead creator (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about city dwellers balancing the perks of internet fame (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being labeled as being a substance-abusing criminal, and potentially becoming a risky pariah). Some could tempting to produce a show about online fame that was horribly aspirational—or, more problematic, one that mocked at its subjects. This show avoids both, resulting in a portrait of advantaged young adult life that’s honest about the chaos 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
