The actress and writer on the side-splitting comedy portraying that chaotic allure of today's youth existence
The performer enters the video call and at once launches into an apology. “Apologies for the delay!” she exclaims, appearing genuinely remorseful. Although she's only a bit delayed, she wants to justify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Fortunately, during an interview, that’s precisely what you want to hear. Besides, it’s pretty unsurprising. Viewers familiar with her unapologetically openly gay and unapologetically crass movie Bottoms—that Sennott collaborated on with her creative partner and starred in with close companion the talented actress—can already know that Sennott possesses plenty to share, be it about identity, relationships, or the merits of starting a high-school fight club. Furthermore, after watching the new multi-episode show titled I Love LA, it is clear that the star has even more perspectives on the challenges of modern youth (At 30, Sennott represents an honorary member to younger audiences, a tale-end millennial adept for connecting different age groups).
Influences and Storytelling Approach
Parallels to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and Sennott readily acknowledges a fan, citing the show in addition to Sex and the City, Insecure and Atlanta as inspirations for the project, which follows the travails of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and ally and aspiring agent Sennott’s character. However, the largest spot on creative vision belonged to the popular sitcom, the show about an up-and-coming A-list actor succeeding in an often-seedy entertainment industry (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott started watching it throughout COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and resolved to put her own twist on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she explains. The concept for this project emerged—partly—from firsthand, initially fractious, relocation to Los Angeles and from her saturn return, a much-talked-about occurrence for enthusiasts. That period marked a phase that involved her understand significant truths, work-wise and in private life. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she says. “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
Raised in Connecticut, the star commenced developing and showcasing 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. “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.”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, performing at live shows with her friend and posting hilarious (and distinctly) bizarre comedy videos on the internet. One, titled Baby Cult, followed several females intensely drawn to pregnancy; another envisioned working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being stuck in a horror film. By chance, she connected with Emma through NYU’s movie community and eventually appearing in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful film set at a funeral gathering with hints of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her career, she says, has been people her own age supporting her, as opposed to the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “They were not involved”, she confirms, adding humorously: “They don’t want us to win.”
Career Breakthrough
Those who had doubts regarding her previously will surely be regretting it today. In what she calls a “wild, full-circle” story, she seems to have created an ideal role. A few years back she posted a clip called about Los Angeles on social media, in which she parodied movie previews (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a show about LA residents juggling advantages of online celebrity (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your associate being suspected of being a substance-abusing thief, and possibly becoming a risky persona non grata). One might simple to make a show about internet celebrity that was overly idealized—or, worse, one that belittled at the characters. I Love LA avoids both, resulting in a representation of privileged young adult living that’s honest about the mess and the shine.
Empathetic Approach
“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