The performer appears on the video call and immediately starts an apology. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, sounding genuinely apologetic. Although she's only slightly behind, she needs to clarify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Fortunately, during an interview, this is exactly what you want to experience. Additionally, it’s pretty expected. Those familiar with the boldly openly gay and outspoken film Bottoms—which she collaborated on with the director and featured in together with collaborator the talented actress—will understand that Sennott possesses plenty to say, whether about gender, sex, or the pros of creating a high-school fight club. Plus, after watching the latest multi-episode HBO series titled I Love LA, it is clear that she has further insights about the struggles of modern youth (Now in her thirties, she serves as a bridge for this generation, on the cusp adept for connecting different age groups).
Influences and Storytelling Approach
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and the actress is an admirer, citing the show alongside the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as influences for I Love LA, which details the struggles of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and ally who is also new representative portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the biggest spot on concept belonged to Entourage, the program focusing on a rising Hollywood star succeeding in an often-seedy entertainment industry (notable statement: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott began viewing it throughout lockdown, became “hooked”, 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 notes. The concept for this project came—to some extent—from personal, initially rocky, move to Los Angeles and from her cosmic event, a much-talked-about phenomenon for enthusiasts. This represented a phase that included her grasp major truths, professionally and personally. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” 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 resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Starting Out
Growing up in New England, Sennott started creating and acting humor while studying performance at NYU’s Tisch. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she says. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
Sennott decided to act independently, appearing at live shows with Edebiri and posting uproarious (and very) bizarre skits online. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, centered on characters intensely fixated on having babies; a different one portrayed working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being stuck in a scary movie. By chance, she connected with Seligman through campus film circles and ended up starring in her first film, Shiva Baby, a tense comedy set at a funeral gathering with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. A recurring idea of her path, she says, has been people her own age giving her a shot, rather than the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, stating with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”
Rising Success
Individuals who questioned regarding Sennott then will surely be feeling foolish now. In what she labels a “incredibly circular” development, she appears to manifested an ideal role. Previously she shared content named “it’s LA” online, in which she parodied film promos (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Years later, she’s a lead creator (with the co-writer) of a comedy about Angelenos balancing the perks of digital stardom (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your friend being accused of being a intoxicated stealer, and perhaps becoming a unreliable persona non grata). One might easy to make a series about online fame that was overly aspirational—or, even less favorable, one that belittled at the characters. The series does neither, making for a portrait of advantaged twentysomething existence that’s candid about the grot and the appeal.
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 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
