The star appears on the video call and immediately begins an apology. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she states, seeming truly remorseful. She is only a bit behind, she needs to explain. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Luckily, during an interview, this is just what is ideal to hear. Besides, it’s quite expected. Viewers familiar with the fearlessly openly gay and outspoken movie Bottoms—that she collaborated on with Emma Seligman and appeared in together with close companion The Bear’s standout—will be aware that she possesses much to share, be it on gender, intimacy, or the appeal of starting a high-school fight club. And, after watching her new eight-part show titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star holds additional thoughts on the challenges of young adulthood (As a millennial, Sennott is an honorary member for this generation, straddling eras skilled for bridging different age groups).
Inspirations and Storytelling Approach
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show can’t be avoided and the actress readily acknowledges a fan, referencing it in addition to the classic series, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as guides for the project, which tracks the travails of an influencer Tallulah and ally who is also fledgling talent manager Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the most significant influence on creative vision belonged to Entourage, the show focusing on a rising Hollywood star navigating in a corrupt Hollywood (memorable line: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She started watching it amid lockdown, became “obsessed”, and decided to add a fresh perspective on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she says. The concept for I Love LA originated—partly—from her own, originally fractious, transition to Los Angeles and from the saturn return, a much-talked-about event for followers. This represented a phase that saw her understand major insights, in her career and individually. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she says. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Starting Out
Brought up in Connecticut, the star commenced writing and performing stand-up while pursuing theatre at a prestigious arts school. “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.” “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
Sennott decided to act independently, taking the stage at live shows with her friend and uploading uproarious (and very) unconventional skits on the internet. One, titled Baby Cult, followed a group of women obsessively obsessed with pregnancy; another imagined being employed at the brand Hollister as similar to being stuck in a horror film. By chance, she met Seligman through the university’s film scene and ultimately appearing in her initial project, Shiva Baby, a tense film set at a funeral gathering with hints of Uncut Gems. A recurring idea of her career, she notes, has been people her own age offering opportunities, rather than established gatekeepers. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Definitely not them”, she emphasizes, adding amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”
Career Breakthrough
Anyone who were skeptical regarding her previously will likely be kicking themselves now. In what she describes as a “astonishingly complete” development, she seems to have achieved the perfect project. A few years back she uploaded a video titled on LA life on social media, in which she lampooned film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with the co-writer) of a series about Angelenos managing the perks of digital stardom (such as partying at a famous actor’s house) with downsides (your client being suspected of being a substance-abusing thief, and possibly becoming a unreliable persona non grata). Some could tempting to make a program about online fame that was overly glamorous—or, more problematic, one that belittled at those depicted. The series steers clear of each, creating a portrait of privileged millennial existence that’s honest about the grot and the shine.
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 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
