The performer enters the digital interview and right away begins an apology. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she states, sounding really remorseful. She is only a couple of minutes delayed, she wants to clarify. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Fortunately, for a writer, this is just what one hopes to hear. Besides, it’s fairly expected. Viewers who know her fearlessly queer and outspoken project Bottoms—that she collaborated on with Emma Seligman and starred in alongside her friend The Bear’s standout—can understand that she possesses a lot to discuss, whether about identity, intimacy, or the merits of creating a teen fight club. Furthermore, once you finish the recent multi-episode HBO series titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she has additional insights regarding the darker side of Gen Z life (Now in her thirties, Sennott is an honorary member for this generation, a tale-end millennial with a knack for connecting both generations).
Influences and Creative Vision
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and Sennott is an admirer, referencing it alongside Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as inspirations for the project, which details the struggles of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend and aspiring agent portrayed by Sennott. However, the most significant influence on creative vision was reserved for the popular sitcom, the program depicting an emerging Hollywood star navigating in a gritty Hollywood (choice quote: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott started watching it throughout COVID-19, became “hooked”, and decided to add a fresh perspective on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she notes. The concept for I Love LA came—in part—from her own, initially difficult, transition to Los Angeles and from the saturn return, a frequently discussed event for followers. It was a time that included her grasp some big life lessons, work-wise and personally. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she says. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Humble Origins
Raised in the East Coast, the star began developing and showcasing stand-up while studying acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she states. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She seized control, performing at open mics with Edebiri and uploading hysterical (and decidedly) weird online content on the internet. A particular video, Baby Cult, centered on a group of women obsessively drawn to motherhood; another imagined being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being caught in a thriller. By chance, she connected with Seligman through NYU’s movie community and eventually featuring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a religious event with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. A recurring idea of her journey, she says, has been peers giving her a shot, as opposed to the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, continuing amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Manifesting Dreams
Anyone who had doubts about her earlier will likely be kicking themselves currently. As part of she describes as a “incredibly circular” story, she seems to have manifested her dream vehicle. A few years back she uploaded content titled “it’s LA” on social media, in which she lampooned film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Years later, she’s a lead creator (with her partner) of a show about Angelenos juggling the perks of digital stardom (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with drawbacks (your associate being labeled as being a intoxicated stealer, and perhaps becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). One might tempting to make a show about digital influence that was overly aspirational—or, more problematic, one that punched down at those depicted. I Love LA steers clear of each, making for a representation of privileged young adult living that’s candid about the mess and the glamour.
Balanced Perspective
“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
