The actress and writer discussing the hilarious series depicting that chaotic allure of Gen Z life
The performer appears on the digital interview and right away launches into an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, sounding really regretful. Despite being only slightly delayed, she needs to explain. “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, in this context, that’s just what you want to hear. Additionally, it’s pretty unsurprising. Those familiar with the fearlessly queer and brash film Bottoms—that she co-wrote with the director and appeared in alongside collaborator Ayo Edebiri—would understand that she holds much to discuss, be it about identity, intimacy, or the merits of starting a teen fight club. Plus, by the end her latest eight-part HBO series titled I Love LA, it is clear that she has additional thoughts regarding the challenges of young adulthood (At 30, she is a relatable figure to younger audiences, on the cusp with a knack for bridging millennials and Gen Z).
Guiding Lights and Creative Vision
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls can’t be avoided and Sennott is a fan, naming the show in addition to the HBO hit, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as inspirations for the project, which tracks the journey of online personality Tallulah and ally and aspiring talent manager Sennott’s character. However, the most significant spot on the moodboard belonged to the popular sitcom, that program about an up-and-coming Hollywood star navigating in a gritty Hollywood (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott started watching it amid the pandemic, became “captivated”, and chose to create a new version 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 inspiration for the series emerged—partly—from her own, at first difficult, move to Los Angeles and from the cosmic event, a popular occurrence for followers. That period marked a time that included her learn major insights, in her career and personally. “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 was almost like these biblical tests …”
Starting Out
Growing up in Connecticut, the star started developing and showcasing humor while enrolled in performance at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” 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.”
She took matters into her own hands, appearing at live shows with Edebiri and sharing hysterical (and distinctly) bizarre comedy videos on the internet. A particular video, Baby Cult, centered on several females fetishistically drawn to motherhood; another envisioned working at the brand Hollister as similar to being caught in a scary movie. Interestingly, she encountered Emma through NYU’s movie community and ultimately appearing in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a religious event with hints of Uncut Gems. The central motif of her career, she says, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, instead of established gatekeepers. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “They were not involved”, she confirms, adding with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”
Rising Success
Those who were skeptical regarding her then will certainly be regretting it today. As part of she calls a “astonishingly complete” turn of events, she appears to manifested an ideal role. Previously she uploaded a video titled about Los Angeles on the internet, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a series about LA residents managing benefits of digital stardom (such as partying at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your client being labeled as being a substance-abusing stealer, and possibly becoming a risky outcast). Some could tempting to produce a series about digital influence that was extremely aspirational—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at its subjects. I Love LA steers clear of each, resulting in a depiction of privileged millennial existence that’s honest about the grot and the shine.
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 comments. “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