The actress and writer exploring the side-splitting comedy portraying that chaotic appeal of Gen Z existence
The performer enters the video call and right away begins an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, sounding genuinely regretful. Despite being only slightly delayed, she needs to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Fortunately, during an interview, that’s precisely what one hopes to hear. Moreover, it’s pretty predictable. Those who have seen the boldly queer and unapologetically crass project Bottoms—which she co-wrote with the director and featured in with collaborator The Bear’s standout—can already know that Sennott holds plenty to discuss, whether about identity, sex, or the appeal of starting a youth brawl society. And, after watching the new eight-part HBO series I Love LA, it is clear that the star holds additional thoughts on the darker side of Gen Z life (At 30, Sennott represents an honorary member of the gang, straddling eras with a knack for connecting different age groups).
Inspirations and Storytelling Approach
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s Girls are inevitable and the actress admits to being an admirer, naming the show alongside the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as inspirations for her series, which details the journey of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion and fledgling talent manager Sennott’s character. Notably, the most significant presence on the moodboard belonged to Entourage, the program focusing on an up-and-coming celebrity navigating in an often-seedy LA scene (choice quote: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott started watching it throughout COVID-19, became “hooked”, and chose to add a fresh perspective on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she says. The concept for this project emerged—partly—from her own, originally difficult, move to LA and from the cosmic event, a frequently discussed event for astrology heads. This represented an era that saw her learn significant insights, professionally and personally. “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. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Humble Origins
Growing up in Connecticut, the star began writing and performing stand-up while studying acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she states. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She decided to act independently, performing at live shows with Ayo and posting hysterical (and very) weird skits on the internet. One, Baby Cult, centered on a group of women intensely obsessed with having babies; another imagined working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being stuck in a scary movie. Interestingly, she met Seligman through campus film circles and ultimately appearing in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a Jewish wake with echoes of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her path, she says, has been contemporaries supporting her, as opposed to established gatekeepers. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “They were not involved”, she confirms, adding amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”
Career Breakthrough
Individuals who had doubts about Sennott then will certainly be regretting it today. Through she calls a “astonishingly complete” development, she seems to have manifested the perfect project. A few years back she uploaded content named “it’s LA” online, in which she lampooned film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about Angelenos balancing the perks of internet fame (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with drawbacks (your client being accused of being a drug-addled stealer, and perhaps becoming a risky outcast). Some could tempting to produce a show about online fame that was extremely glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at those depicted. The series steers clear of each, creating a portrait of advantaged young adult life that’s honest about the mess and the glamour.
Balanced Perspective
“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
