The actress and writer discussing her uproarious comedy about that grotty allure of today's youth lifestyle
The star joins the video call and immediately begins an excuse. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, seeming really apologetic. Although she's only a bit delayed, she wants to explain. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, during an interview, that’s just what you want to encounter. Moreover, it’s pretty unsurprising. Viewers who have seen her boldly queer and outspoken project Bottoms—that Sennott collaborated on with her creative partner and starred in with collaborator Ayo Edebiri—would be aware that she holds a lot to discuss, ranging from about identity, sex, or the appeal of creating a teen fight club. And, once you finish her new multi-episode HBO series I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she holds further insights on the darker side of modern youth (At 30, she represents a relatable figure to younger audiences, straddling eras with a knack for connecting both generations).
Influences and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and the actress admits to being a fan, naming the show alongside Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as influences for the project, which tracks the travails of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend who is also new representative Maia. However, the biggest presence on the moodboard belonged to the HBO series, the HBO sitcom focusing on a rising Hollywood star making his way in a gritty LA scene (notable statement: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott began viewing it during lockdown, became “obsessed”, and decided to add a fresh perspective on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she explains. The concept for the series originated—partly—from personal, at first difficult, relocation to Los Angeles and from her astrological phase, a popular phenomenon for enthusiasts. This represented a phase that included her understand major life lessons, work-wise and in private life. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she admits. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Starting Out
Growing up in the East Coast, Sennott began creating and acting stand-up while pursuing acting 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 says. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at live shows with her friend and uploading hilarious (and decidedly) weird comedy videos online. A particular video, Baby Cult, centered on several females fetishistically fixated on motherhood; another imagined working at the brand Hollister as akin to being stuck in a horror film. By chance, she encountered Emma through NYU’s movie community and ultimately featuring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a tense film set at a religious event with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The big theme of her journey, she notes, has been peers offering opportunities, instead of the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Not the gatekeepers”, she repeats, continuing humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Rising Success
Anyone who were skeptical regarding Sennott previously will certainly be feeling foolish now. Through she labels a “wild, full-circle” story, she has achieved her dream vehicle. In 2019 she shared a video named about Los Angeles online, in which she lampooned film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about Angelenos juggling benefits of digital stardom (such as celebrating at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your associate being accused of being a drug-addled stealer, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). It would be simple to create a series about internet celebrity that was horribly glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that mocked at its subjects. The series steers clear of each, resulting in a depiction of affluent young adult life that’s frank about the chaos and the appeal.
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
