The star joins the digital interview and immediately starts an apology. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she states, appearing truly regretful. She is only slightly delayed, she feels compelled to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Luckily, in this context, that’s exactly what is ideal to encounter. Additionally, it’s fairly predictable. Anyone who know the unapologetically queer and unapologetically crass project Bottoms—which she penned with her creative partner and starred in with her friend Ayo Edebiri—can understand that Sennott possesses much to share, whether on identity, sex, or the pros of starting a high-school combat group. Furthermore, by the end her latest eight-part HBO series I Love LA, viewers realize that the star carries even more insights regarding the darker side of modern youth (At 30, Sennott represents a relatable figure of the gang, a tale-end millennial with a knack for connecting both generations).
Guiding Lights and Artistic Direction
Parallels to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and the actress readily acknowledges a fan, naming the show in addition to Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as influences for the project, which details the journey of a social media star Tallulah and her friend and new representative portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the largest spot on the moodboard was reserved for the popular sitcom, the show depicting a rising Hollywood star succeeding in a gritty LA scene (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She began viewing it throughout lockdown, became “captivated”, and resolved to put her own twist on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she notes. The idea for this project originated—in part—from her own, initially difficult, relocation to LA and from her saturn return, a much-talked-about occurrence for followers. That period marked a time that included her grasp significant life lessons, in her career and in private life. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she recalls. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Humble Origins
Brought up in Connecticut, the star started writing and performing humor while studying theatre at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she says. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “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 open mics with Edebiri and posting hysterical (and decidedly) unconventional comedy videos on the internet. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, followed a group of women intensely drawn to motherhood; a different one envisioned being employed at a trendy retail outlet as like being trapped in a thriller. Interestingly, she connected with Emma through the university’s film scene and ended up starring in her initial project, Shiva Baby, an anxious dramedy set at a religious event with hints of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her path, she explains, has been contemporaries supporting her, rather than the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, stating amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”
Manifesting Dreams
Individuals who were skeptical regarding her previously will surely be regretting it today. In what she calls a “wild, full-circle” story, she appears to manifested her dream vehicle. Previously she posted a video called on LA life on the internet, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with the co-writer) of a show about Angelenos balancing benefits of online celebrity (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your client being accused of being a drug-addled thief, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). It would be simple to create a series about online fame that was horribly glamorous—or, more problematic, one that mocked at those depicted. This show steers clear of each, creating a depiction of advantaged millennial living that’s frank about the chaos and the glamour.
Empathetic Approach
“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” 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
