The actress and writer exploring her uproarious comedy depicting that grotty allure of Gen Z life
The performer enters the video call and right away launches into an apology. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, seeming truly regretful. She is only a bit late, she wants to justify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Fortunately, in this context, that’s precisely what you want to experience. Besides, it’s quite unsurprising. Anyone familiar with her fearlessly queer and outspoken movie titled Bottoms—which Sennott co-wrote with Emma Seligman and starred in together with close companion Ayo Edebiri—would already know that Sennott possesses a lot to share, whether on roles, intimacy, or the pros of creating a teen fight club. And, after watching the recent multi-episode program I Love LA, it is clear that she has further perspectives about the struggles of modern youth (As a millennial, Sennott represents a relatable figure to younger audiences, a tale-end millennial skilled for bridging millennials and Gen Z).
Inspirations and Creative Vision
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and Sennott is an admirer, referencing the show alongside Sex and the City, Insecure and the innovative program as inspirations for the project, which follows the struggles of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and ally who is also fledgling talent manager portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the most significant presence on the moodboard was reserved for Entourage, the show depicting an up-and-coming A-list actor succeeding in a corrupt Hollywood (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott began viewing it during lockdown, 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 emerged—in part—from personal, originally rocky, relocation to Los Angeles and from her cosmic event, a much-talked-about phenomenon for astrology heads. That period marked an era that saw her learn some big life lessons, in her career and individually. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she admits. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Early Beginnings
Raised in Connecticut, the star commenced creating and acting stand-up while pursuing acting at NYU’s Tisch. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she explains. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “None of the university plays cast me either.” “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, appearing at amateur nights with her friend and sharing uproarious (and distinctly) unconventional skits online. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, depicted a group of women obsessively fixated on having babies; a different one imagined being employed at the brand Hollister as similar to being trapped in a scary movie. By chance, she met Emma through the university’s film scene and ended up featuring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, a tense film set at a funeral gathering with shades of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her career, she notes, has been peers offering opportunities, instead of the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, stating humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Manifesting Dreams
Anyone who questioned about Sennott then will surely be feeling foolish currently. In what she calls a “wild, full-circle” story, she appears to created the perfect project. Previously she shared content called about Los Angeles online, in which she lampooned movie previews (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Years later, she’s a lead creator (with the co-writer) of a show about Angelenos balancing advantages of digital stardom (such as socializing at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your client being labeled as being a intoxicated stealer, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” pariah). It would be simple to make a show about digital influence that was overly aspirational—or, even less favorable, one that belittled at the characters. This show avoids both, resulting in a depiction of privileged twentysomething life that’s frank about the chaos 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