The star enters the video call and right away starts an explanation. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she states, appearing genuinely apologetic. She is only a couple of minutes delayed, she feels compelled to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, for a writer, this is precisely what you want to encounter. Additionally, it’s fairly expected. Those familiar with the fearlessly openly gay and unapologetically crass film Bottoms—that she penned with the director and featured in alongside her friend the talented actress—would already know that she holds plenty to discuss, whether about roles, sex, or the pros of creating a teen brawl society. Plus, by the end her new seasonal HBO series titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she holds additional thoughts regarding the struggles of young adulthood (Now in her thirties, she serves as a bridge to younger audiences, on the cusp adept for connecting both generations).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and the actress is enthusiastic, referencing the show in addition to the classic series, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as influences for I Love LA, which tracks the journey of online personality Tallulah and close companion who is also aspiring representative portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the most significant presence on the moodboard went to the popular sitcom, the HBO sitcom depicting an emerging A-list actor navigating in a corrupt Hollywood (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She started watching it throughout COVID-19, became “hooked”, and resolved to add a fresh perspective on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she explains. The inspiration for the series originated—to some extent—from her own, originally fractious, relocation to Los Angeles and from her astrological phase, a popular event for followers. This represented a time that saw her learn significant insights, in her career and personally. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she recalls. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Starting Out
Raised in New England, Sennott began writing and performing comedy while pursuing theatre at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she states. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She decided to act independently, performing at amateur nights with her friend and uploading uproarious (and very) unconventional comedy videos digitally. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, followed a group of women fetishistically obsessed with motherhood; a different one imagined being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being stuck in a scary movie. By chance, she met Emma through campus film circles and ended up appearing in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, a tense comedy set at a Jewish wake with echoes of the intense thriller. The big theme of her journey, she notes, has been peers giving her a shot, instead of the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, stating with a laugh: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Career Breakthrough
Individuals who questioned about her earlier will surely be regretting it today. Through she labels a “astonishingly complete” turn of events, she has achieved her dream vehicle. In 2019 she posted content named on LA life on social media, in which she lampooned movie previews (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a comedy about Angelenos balancing the perks of internet fame (such as partying at a famous actor’s house) with downsides (your client being suspected of being a intoxicated criminal, and perhaps becoming a unreliable pariah). Some could tempting to produce a show about digital influence that was overly idealized—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at its subjects. The series does neither, making for a depiction of affluent twentysomething life that’s honest about the mess and the shine.
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 observes. “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
