The performer joins the digital interview and right away begins an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, seeming genuinely regretful. She is only slightly late, she feels compelled to justify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Fortunately, during an interview, this is just what is ideal to encounter. Besides, it’s fairly expected. Those familiar with the boldly LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass movie titled Bottoms—that she penned with her creative partner and appeared in alongside collaborator the talented actress—would understand that she holds much to discuss, whether about roles, intimacy, or the appeal of starting a teen combat group. Furthermore, after watching the recent eight-part program titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she has even more thoughts regarding the darker side of young adulthood (At 30, Sennott represents an honorary member to younger audiences, on the cusp adept for bridging different age groups).
Inspirations and Storytelling Approach
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and Sennott admits to being an admirer, referencing the show alongside the classic series, the acclaimed comedy and Donald Glover’s series as inspirations for her series, which details the journey of an influencer Tallulah and ally who is also aspiring talent manager Maia. Perhaps, the biggest presence on the moodboard was reserved for the HBO series, the program about a rising A-list actor navigating in an often-seedy Hollywood (choice quote: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She began viewing it throughout COVID-19, became “captivated”, and chose 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 idea for I Love LA emerged—to some extent—from her own, initially fractious, relocation to Tinseltown and from her astrological phase, a popular occurrence for followers. It was a time that saw her learn major truths, in her career and personally. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she recalls. “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 Connecticut, Sennott commenced developing and showcasing humor while studying theatre at a prestigious arts school. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” 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. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
She seized control, taking the stage at live shows with Ayo and posting hilarious (and decidedly) unconventional comedy videos online. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, centered on several females intensely obsessed with pregnancy; another imagined working at the brand Hollister as akin to being caught in a horror film. By chance, she met Emma through campus film circles and ultimately featuring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a funeral gathering with shades of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her path, she notes, has been contemporaries supporting her, rather than traditional networks. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she repeats, stating humorously: “They don’t want us to win.”
Manifesting Dreams
Those who were skeptical regarding her then will certainly be kicking themselves now. In what she labels a “wild, full-circle” turn of events, she appears to created the perfect project. Previously she shared content named “it’s LA” on social media, in which she parodied Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Years later, she’s a lead creator (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about Angelenos juggling the perks of online celebrity (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your client being suspected of being a drug-addled criminal, and potentially becoming a unreliable persona non grata). One might simple to produce a show about digital influence that was extremely glamorous—or, more problematic, one that punched down at its subjects. I Love LA steers clear of each, resulting in a representation of advantaged twentysomething living that’s candid about the chaos and the shine.
Empathetic Approach
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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
