🔗 Share this article

The star joins the video call and immediately starts an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, seeming truly remorseful. Although she's only slightly late, she needs to justify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Luckily, in this context, this is just what one hopes to encounter. Moreover, it’s fairly predictable. Viewers familiar with her boldly queer and outspoken movie titled Bottoms—that she collaborated on with the director and appeared in with close companion the talented actress—can be aware that she possesses a lot to discuss, whether about identity, sex, or the appeal of forming a high-school fight club. And, after watching her recent eight-part HBO series titled I Love LA, viewers realize that she holds further perspectives about the darker side of young adulthood (As a millennial, Sennott serves as an honorary member to younger audiences, on the cusp adept for connecting millennials and Gen Z).

Inspirations and Creative Vision

Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show are inevitable and Sennott admits to being enthusiastic, referencing it in addition to the classic series, Insecure and Donald Glover’s series as inspirations for I Love LA, which follows the travails of online personality Tallulah and her friend who is also new talent manager Sennott’s character. However, the most significant spot on concept belonged to Entourage, the show depicting a rising celebrity making his way in an often-seedy Hollywood (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott began viewing it throughout COVID-19, became “captivated”, and resolved to create a new version on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.

“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she explains. The inspiration for this project came—to some extent—from firsthand, originally rocky, move to Los Angeles and from the cosmic event, a frequently discussed event for astrology heads. It was an era that saw her learn some big insights, professionally and individually. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she admits. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”

Humble Origins

Raised in Connecticut, Sennott began developing and showcasing humor while studying performance at NYU’s Tisch. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she says. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “None of the university plays cast me either.” And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”

She seized control, performing at amateur nights with her friend and sharing hysterical (and very) weird comedy videos on the internet. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, depicted characters fetishistically obsessed with having babies; a different one imagined working at the brand Hollister as akin to being stuck in a thriller. Interestingly, she met Emma through the university’s film scene and ended up featuring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful film set at a funeral gathering with shades of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The big theme of her path, she notes, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, rather than established gatekeepers. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, continuing humorously: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”

Rising Success

Anyone who questioned about Sennott previously will certainly be regretting it now. As part of she labels a “wild, full-circle” story, she seems to have created her dream vehicle. Previously she uploaded a video titled about Los Angeles online, in which she mocked movie previews (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about LA residents balancing the perks of digital stardom (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being labeled as being a substance-abusing criminal, and possibly becoming a risky pariah). Some could easy to create a program about online fame that was horribly idealized—or, even less favorable, one that mocked at those depicted. This show does neither, making for a depiction of advantaged millennial life that’s frank about the mess and the glamour.

Empathetic Approach

“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” she says. “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