The performer appears on the online meeting and right away launches into an apology. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, appearing really apologetic. Although she's only slightly behind, she needs 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, in this context, this is just what is ideal to hear. Moreover, it’s quite unsurprising. Viewers who know her boldly queer and unapologetically crass project Bottoms—that Sennott penned with Emma Seligman and appeared in together with collaborator Ayo Edebiri—can be aware that Sennott has a lot to say, whether on gender, intimacy, or the pros of creating a youth fight club. Plus, after watching her latest multi-episode program I Love LA, it is clear that she carries even more insights regarding the challenges of young adulthood (Now in her thirties, Sennott represents a relatable figure of the gang, straddling eras adept for connecting both generations).
Guiding Lights and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to the iconic series Girls can’t be avoided and Sennott admits to being an admirer, referencing it in addition to Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as inspirations for I Love LA, which follows the travails of online personality Tallulah and close companion who is also fledgling representative portrayed by Sennott. However, the largest influence on creative vision belonged to the HBO series, the HBO sitcom depicting an emerging celebrity making his way in an often-seedy entertainment industry (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She started watching it throughout lockdown, became “hooked”, and chose to put her own twist on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she explains. The inspiration for this project emerged—partly—from firsthand, at first rocky, move to LA and from the cosmic event, a frequently discussed phenomenon for astrology heads. This represented a time that included her learn some big life lessons, professionally and individually. “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. It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Starting Out
Brought up in the East Coast, the star started developing and showcasing stand-up while pursuing theatre at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she states. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “None of the university plays cast me either.” “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
She decided to act independently, appearing at live shows with Ayo and uploading uproarious (and very) bizarre comedy videos on the internet. A particular video, Baby Cult, centered on characters fetishistically drawn to having babies; another envisioned being employed at the brand Hollister as akin to being trapped in a scary movie. By chance, she connected with Seligman through NYU’s movie community and ultimately starring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a funeral gathering with shades of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her career, she says, has been contemporaries supporting her, rather than established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, continuing amusedly: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Rising Success
Anyone who questioned about Sennott previously will surely be regretting it today. In what she calls a “wild, full-circle” turn of events, she has created an ideal role. Previously she uploaded content called “it’s LA” online, in which she lampooned film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Years later, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about LA residents managing the perks of digital stardom (such as socializing at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your client being suspected of being a intoxicated stealer, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). One might simple to produce a program about internet celebrity that was extremely aspirational—or, more problematic, one that punched down at those depicted. This show does neither, resulting in a representation of privileged young adult living that’s frank 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
