🔗 Share this article

The performer enters the online meeting and right away begins an excuse. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, sounding truly apologetic. Although she's only slightly delayed, she wants to justify. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, during an interview, that’s just what you want to hear. Moreover, it’s pretty predictable. Those who know her unapologetically queer and unapologetically crass movie Bottoms—that Sennott co-wrote with Emma Seligman and starred in with her friend The Bear’s standout—can be aware that she has plenty to discuss, be it about gender, relationships, or the appeal of starting a teen brawl society. Furthermore, after watching the recent multi-episode program titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she carries even more insights about the darker side of young adulthood (At 30, she serves as an honorary member of the gang, a tale-end millennial with a knack for straddling both generations).

Inspirations and Artistic Direction

The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and Sennott readily acknowledges a fan, citing it in addition to the classic series, Insecure and Atlanta as inspirations for I Love LA, which details the struggles of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and ally who is also fledgling talent manager Maia. Perhaps, the most significant presence on concept was reserved for Entourage, that show focusing on a rising celebrity navigating in a corrupt Hollywood (choice quote: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott began viewing it during lockdown, became “hooked”, and resolved 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 says. The concept for this project came—to some extent—from her own, originally difficult, transition to Los Angeles and from her saturn return, a frequently discussed phenomenon for enthusiasts. It was a time that included her learn some big insights, work-wise and personally. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she recalls. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”

Early Beginnings

Raised in the East Coast, Sennott commenced developing and showcasing stand-up while studying theatre at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she says. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”

She seized control, taking the stage at amateur nights with Ayo and sharing hysterical (and distinctly) unconventional online content on the internet. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, depicted a group of women intensely drawn to motherhood; a different one envisioned working at a trendy retail outlet as similar to being caught in a horror film. Interestingly, she met Seligman through campus film circles and ultimately featuring in her first film, Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a religious event with shades of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her career, she says, has been peers offering opportunities, as opposed to the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she confirms, continuing with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”

Career Breakthrough

Those who were skeptical about Sennott earlier will certainly be regretting it today. In what she describes as a “incredibly circular” story, she has manifested the perfect project. Previously she posted a video called on LA life on the internet, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Years later, she’s a lead creator (with the co-writer) of a show about city dwellers juggling benefits of online celebrity (such as partying at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being labeled as being a substance-abusing thief, and possibly becoming a risky outcast). One might tempting to make a show about online fame that was horribly aspirational—or, more problematic, one that punched down at those depicted. This show avoids both, creating a representation of privileged young adult life that’s honest about the mess and the shine.

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