The performer appears on the digital interview and right away starts an excuse. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, sounding truly apologetic. Despite being only a bit behind, she feels compelled to justify. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Fortunately, in this context, this is exactly what one hopes to experience. Moreover, it’s pretty unsurprising. Anyone familiar with her unapologetically openly gay and outspoken film Bottoms—that Sennott co-wrote with the director and appeared in together with collaborator the talented actress—would already know that Sennott holds a lot to say, whether on gender, sex, or the merits of starting a high-school fight club. Furthermore, after watching the latest seasonal show I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she carries further thoughts on the darker side of young adulthood (At 30, she is a relatable figure for this generation, straddling eras skilled for straddling both generations).
Influences and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls can’t be avoided and the actress readily acknowledges a fan, naming the show in addition to the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and Donald Glover’s series as influences for the project, which follows the journey of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion who is also aspiring representative Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the largest influence on creative vision was reserved for the popular sitcom, that program focusing on a rising A-list actor navigating in a corrupt LA scene (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She discovered it amid the pandemic, became “captivated”, and chose to add a fresh perspective 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 explains. The concept for I Love LA originated—to some extent—from firsthand, originally rocky, relocation to LA and from her cosmic event, a popular event for enthusiasts. This represented an era that saw her grasp major truths, professionally and individually. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she recalls. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Starting Out
Growing up in the East Coast, Sennott began writing and performing comedy while pursuing performance at a prestigious arts school. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she explains. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “None of the university plays cast me either.” And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
Sennott decided to act independently, performing at amateur nights with Ayo and uploading uproarious (and very) bizarre comedy videos digitally. One, titled Baby Cult, centered on characters fetishistically obsessed with having babies; a different one portrayed working at the brand Hollister as similar to being trapped in a horror film. In a neat twist of fate, she encountered Emma through NYU’s movie community and eventually featuring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a Jewish wake with shades of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her career, she notes, has been contemporaries offering opportunities, as opposed to the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, adding amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Manifesting Dreams
Those who questioned about Sennott then will certainly be kicking themselves today. As part of she calls a “incredibly circular” development, she has created an ideal role. Previously she shared content titled “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she mocked film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Years later, she’s the co-showrunner (with her partner) of a series about LA residents managing advantages of internet fame (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with drawbacks (your associate being accused of being a intoxicated criminal, and potentially becoming a risky persona non grata). It would be simple to produce a show about online fame that was horribly glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at the characters. I Love LA does neither, resulting in a portrait of advantaged millennial living that’s candid about the mess and the shine.
Balanced Perspective
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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
