The performer joins the video call and at once begins an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, sounding really apologetic. Although she's only a couple of minutes delayed, she wants to justify. “My phone conversations always run long.” I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Luckily, in this context, that’s just what is ideal to hear. Besides, it’s pretty predictable. Those who have seen the fearlessly openly gay and unapologetically crass film titled Bottoms—that Sennott collaborated on with Emma Seligman and appeared in alongside her friend the talented actress—will be aware that she has plenty to share, whether on roles, sex, or the appeal of starting a teen brawl society. Furthermore, once you finish the new multi-episode HBO series titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she carries even more insights regarding the struggles of Gen Z life (At 30, Sennott is an honorary member to younger audiences, on the cusp skilled for bridging both generations).
Inspirations and Creative Vision
Parallels to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and Sennott admits to being an admirer, referencing the show in addition to Sex and the City, Insecure and Donald Glover’s series as inspirations for her series, which follows the travails of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and ally and fledgling talent manager Maia. However, the largest influence on concept was reserved for the popular sitcom, the program depicting an up-and-coming celebrity making his way in a gritty entertainment industry (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott began viewing it amid the pandemic, became “captivated”, and chose to create a new version 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 says. The idea for this project originated—to some extent—from her own, at first rocky, move to Los Angeles and from the saturn return, a popular phenomenon for astrology heads. This represented an era that involved her learn some big life lessons, work-wise and in private life. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” 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 was almost like these biblical tests …”
Early Beginnings
Raised in Connecticut, the star started creating and acting stand-up while enrolled in performance at a prestigious arts school. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she says. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “None of the university plays cast me either.” “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
She decided to act independently, performing at live shows with her friend and posting uproarious (and distinctly) bizarre online content on the internet. A particular video, Baby Cult, centered on several females fetishistically drawn to pregnancy; a different one envisioned working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being trapped in a horror film. In a neat twist of fate, she met Seligman through the university’s film scene and ultimately starring in her first film, Shiva Baby, a tense comedy set at a Jewish wake with hints of the Safdie brothers’ movie. A recurring idea of her career, she explains, has been people her own age offering opportunities, instead of established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she repeats, continuing amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Individuals who were skeptical about Sennott previously will certainly be kicking themselves now. Through she describes as a “astonishingly complete” turn of events, she seems to have manifested the perfect project. In 2019 she uploaded a video titled about Los Angeles on the internet, in which she lampooned film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a show about Angelenos managing benefits of online celebrity (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with drawbacks (your friend being accused of being a drug-addled criminal, and perhaps becoming a unreliable pariah). One might tempting to produce a series about internet celebrity that was horribly glamorous—or, more problematic, one that belittled at those depicted. The series does neither, making for a depiction of affluent young adult existence that’s honest about the grot and the appeal.
Empathetic Approach
“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” she comments. “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
