The actress and writer on the hilarious series portraying the chaotic allure of Gen Z existence
The star appears on the digital interview and immediately begins an excuse. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, sounding genuinely regretful. Although she's only slightly behind, she feels compelled to clarify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, in this context, this is precisely what one hopes to hear. Besides, it’s quite expected. Anyone familiar with the unapologetically LGBTQ+ and outspoken film Bottoms—which Sennott collaborated on with the director and featured in with collaborator Ayo Edebiri—can be aware that Sennott possesses plenty to say, whether on identity, relationships, or the appeal of creating a teen brawl society. Furthermore, once you finish the latest seasonal show I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star holds further perspectives on the darker side of young adulthood (At 30, she is a relatable figure for this generation, on the cusp with a knack for connecting different age groups).
Guiding Lights and Storytelling Approach
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and the actress is a fan, naming the show together with Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as influences for her series, which details the travails of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion who is also new representative Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the largest presence on the moodboard was reserved for the HBO series, the HBO sitcom depicting a rising celebrity making his way in an often-seedy LA scene (memorable line: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She started watching it during lockdown, became “captivated”, and resolved to create a new version on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“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 emerged—partly—from firsthand, at first difficult, move to Tinseltown and from her astrological phase, a much-talked-about phenomenon for followers. That period marked a time that included her understand significant insights, work-wise and in private life. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she says. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Humble Origins
Raised in Connecticut, Sennott commenced developing and showcasing comedy while studying performance at NYU’s Tisch. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she states. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “None of the university plays cast me either.” “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at open mics with her friend and sharing hilarious (and distinctly) weird online content online. One, Baby Cult, followed several females intensely obsessed with motherhood; a different one envisioned being employed at a trendy retail outlet as similar to being stuck in a horror film. By chance, she connected with Seligman through campus film circles and ultimately starring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a funeral gathering with echoes of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her journey, she notes, has been peers supporting her, as opposed to the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, continuing humorously: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Manifesting Dreams
Individuals who had doubts regarding her then will likely be regretting it currently. As part of she labels a “incredibly circular” turn of events, she has created her dream vehicle. In 2019 she posted a clip titled “it’s LA” online, in which she mocked film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a series about LA residents managing the perks of digital stardom (such as celebrating at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your client being labeled as being a drug-addled thief, and perhaps becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). Some could simple to produce a series about digital influence that was horribly aspirational—or, worse, one that punched down at its subjects. I Love LA steers clear of each, resulting in a depiction of affluent young adult living that’s candid about the mess and the appeal.
Nuanced Portrayal
“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” 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
