The star appears on the video call and immediately starts an excuse. “Apologies for the delay!” she says, appearing truly remorseful. Although she's only a bit late, she needs to clarify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Thankfully, in this context, that’s exactly what is ideal to hear. Additionally, it’s fairly expected. Anyone familiar with the boldly queer and outspoken movie titled Bottoms—which she collaborated on with the director and starred in alongside her friend Ayo Edebiri—would understand that she has a lot to share, ranging from about gender, intimacy, or the pros of starting a high-school brawl society. Furthermore, after watching the latest eight-part program I Love LA, viewers realize that the star carries even more thoughts about the darker side of young adulthood (Now in her thirties, she is a bridge of the gang, straddling eras adept for straddling both generations).
Inspirations and Storytelling Approach
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show can’t be avoided and the actress readily acknowledges a fan, citing it in addition to the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as inspirations for the project, which tracks the journey of a social media star Tallulah and ally and aspiring agent Sennott’s character. Notably, the biggest spot on creative vision went to the popular sitcom, that HBO sitcom about an up-and-coming Hollywood star succeeding in an often-seedy entertainment industry (memorable line: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott started watching it amid COVID-19, became “captivated”, and decided to create a new version 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 explains. The inspiration for the series originated—to some extent—from her own, initially rocky, transition to Tinseltown and from her cosmic event, a popular event for enthusiasts. That period marked an era that involved her grasp significant insights, work-wise and individually. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she says. “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, Sennott began developing and showcasing comedy while pursuing acting at a prestigious arts school. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she says. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, appearing at open mics with Edebiri and posting hilarious (and distinctly) weird comedy videos digitally. A particular video, Baby Cult, followed several females obsessively fixated on motherhood; a different one imagined working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being stuck in a scary movie. By chance, she met Seligman through the university’s film scene and ended up featuring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, a tense film set at a Jewish wake with hints of Uncut Gems. A recurring idea of her career, she explains, has been peers offering opportunities, as opposed to established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, adding with a laugh: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Anyone who were skeptical about Sennott then will surely be regretting it now. In what she calls a “incredibly circular” story, she has manifested an ideal role. In 2019 she shared a video titled about Los Angeles on the internet, in which she lampooned movie previews (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Years later, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a series about Angelenos balancing the perks of digital stardom (such as partying at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being accused of being a substance-abusing thief, and potentially becoming a unreliable persona non grata). One might simple to produce a series about digital influence that was overly aspirational—or, worse, one that belittled at its subjects. I Love LA avoids both, making for a representation of affluent twentysomething living that’s frank about the grot and the shine.
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 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
