The star joins the online meeting and at once launches into an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she says, appearing really regretful. Although she's only a couple of minutes delayed, she wants to justify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Luckily, for a writer, this is exactly what one hopes to hear. Besides, it’s fairly unsurprising. Viewers who know the unapologetically queer and unapologetically crass film titled Bottoms—that she collaborated on with the director and starred in alongside her friend The Bear’s standout—will understand that she possesses much to share, be it on identity, sex, or the merits of creating a high-school brawl society. Plus, once you finish the new seasonal HBO series I Love LA, viewers realize that she carries additional insights on the darker side of young adulthood (Now in her thirties, she represents an honorary member of the gang, on the cusp with a knack for bridging millennials and Gen Z).
Guiding Lights and Storytelling Approach
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and Sennott is enthusiastic, citing it in addition to the HBO hit, Insecure and Atlanta as inspirations for I Love LA, which tracks the travails of a social media star Tallulah and close companion who is also new talent manager portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the most significant spot on the moodboard went to the popular sitcom, the program focusing on an up-and-coming Hollywood star making his way in an often-seedy Hollywood (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott discovered it during COVID-19, became “captivated”, and decided to put her own twist on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she explains. The idea for the series originated—in part—from personal, originally fractious, transition to Tinseltown and from her astrological phase, a popular event for enthusiasts. It was a phase that included her grasp significant insights, professionally and in private life. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she recalls. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Humble Origins
Brought up in the East Coast, the star started writing and performing humor while enrolled in performance at a prestigious arts school. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she states. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, performing at open mics with Ayo and posting hysterical (and distinctly) weird comedy videos digitally. A particular video, Baby Cult, centered on characters intensely obsessed with pregnancy; a different one envisioned being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being stuck in a horror film. By chance, she met Seligman through campus film circles and ended up featuring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a religious event with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her journey, she explains, has been people her own age giving her a shot, instead of traditional networks. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she emphasizes, stating humorously: “They don’t want us to win.”
Rising Success
Anyone who had doubts regarding her previously will likely be regretting it currently. In what she describes as a “astonishingly complete” turn of events, she has manifested her dream vehicle. In 2019 she posted a video called “it’s LA” online, in which she lampooned movie previews (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Years later, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a show about Angelenos juggling the perks of digital stardom (such as partying at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being suspected of being a substance-abusing criminal, and perhaps becoming a risky persona non grata). Some could tempting to produce a series about digital influence that was extremely glamorous—or, worse, one that mocked at the characters. I Love LA does neither, resulting in a representation of privileged young adult life that’s candid about the mess and the appeal.
Empathetic Approach
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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
