The star enters the online meeting and immediately starts an excuse. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, appearing truly regretful. Although she's only a bit delayed, she needs to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Luckily, for a writer, that’s precisely what is ideal to hear. Additionally, it’s quite unsurprising. Those who know her boldly LGBTQ+ and outspoken movie Bottoms—which Sennott collaborated on with Emma Seligman and featured in alongside close companion the talented actress—will already know that she possesses much to share, be it on roles, relationships, or the merits of forming a teen combat group. Furthermore, once you finish the recent multi-episode program I Love LA, it is clear that she holds additional perspectives about the challenges of young adulthood (As a millennial, Sennott represents a bridge for this generation, on the cusp with a knack for connecting different age groups).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and Sennott readily acknowledges an admirer, citing the show in addition to Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as influences for the project, which details the journey of online personality Tallulah and her friend who is also aspiring agent portrayed by Sennott. However, the biggest influence on concept was reserved for Entourage, the show focusing on a rising A-list actor navigating in a gritty entertainment industry (notable statement: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott started watching it amid the pandemic, became “captivated”, and chose to create a new version on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she notes. The concept for I Love LA originated—in part—from her own, initially fractious, move to LA and from her astrological phase, a frequently discussed event for enthusiasts. This represented a time that included her grasp major truths, professionally and personally. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she admits. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Starting Out
Raised in Connecticut, the star commenced developing and showcasing humor while enrolled in performance at NYU’s Tisch. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she states. “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 took matters into her own hands, appearing at open mics with her friend and sharing hilarious (and decidedly) bizarre comedy videos online. One, Baby Cult, followed a group of women intensely fixated on having babies; another portrayed being employed at a trendy retail outlet as similar to being trapped in a thriller. Interestingly, she encountered Emma through NYU’s movie community and ended up starring in her first film, Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a Jewish wake with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The big theme of her career, she notes, has been peers giving her a shot, rather than the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she confirms, continuing humorously: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Manifesting Dreams
Anyone who were skeptical about her earlier will certainly be regretting it now. Through she labels a “wild, full-circle” story, she appears to manifested her dream vehicle. In 2019 she shared a clip named “it’s LA” online, in which she lampooned film promos (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a show about city dwellers balancing the perks of online celebrity (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with drawbacks (your friend being labeled as being a intoxicated thief, and perhaps becoming a “brand unsafe” pariah). One might easy to produce a show about internet celebrity that was extremely aspirational—or, more problematic, one that mocked at its subjects. The series avoids both, creating a depiction of privileged millennial living that’s candid about the chaos and the glamour.
Empathetic Approach
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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
