The actress and writer discussing her side-splitting series portraying that messy appeal of Gen Z lifestyle
The star enters the video call and right away starts an excuse. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she states, seeming truly apologetic. Although she's only slightly late, she wants to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Luckily, for a writer, this is just what one hopes to experience. Moreover, it’s fairly expected. Anyone who know her fearlessly openly gay and outspoken film titled Bottoms—that Sennott penned with her creative partner and starred in together with her friend the talented actress—can already know that she has plenty to discuss, whether about gender, sex, or the merits of creating a teen fight club. Furthermore, after watching the recent seasonal HBO series I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star holds even more perspectives regarding the darker side of Gen Z life (As a millennial, Sennott is a relatable figure to younger audiences, on the cusp skilled for connecting both generations).
Influences and Creative Vision
Likenesses to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and Sennott admits to being an admirer, naming it together with Sex and the City, Insecure and Donald Glover’s series as inspirations for I Love LA, which details the travails of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and ally and new agent portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the biggest presence on concept belonged to the HBO series, that HBO sitcom depicting an emerging celebrity succeeding in an often-seedy Hollywood (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott started watching it throughout COVID-19, became “obsessed”, and chose to add a fresh perspective 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 inspiration for this project emerged—in part—from firsthand, originally difficult, move to Tinseltown and from her astrological phase, a popular occurrence for astrology heads. It was a phase that saw her learn significant life lessons, in her career and in private life. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she says. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Early Beginnings
Growing up in the East Coast, the star began creating and acting comedy while enrolled in theatre at a prestigious arts school. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she says. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “None of the university plays cast me either.” “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
She took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at open mics with Edebiri and posting hilarious (and very) weird online content on the internet. A particular video, Baby Cult, followed a group of women obsessively obsessed with pregnancy; another envisioned working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being trapped in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she connected with Seligman through the university’s film scene and ended up starring in her initial project, Shiva Baby, a stressful comedy set at a funeral gathering with echoes of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The big theme of her career, she explains, has been people her own age supporting her, as opposed to the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she emphasizes, stating amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”
Manifesting Dreams
Individuals who had doubts regarding Sennott previously will certainly be kicking themselves now. As part of she describes as a “wild, full-circle” turn of events, she seems to have achieved an ideal role. A few years back she uploaded content titled about Los Angeles on the internet, in which she mocked movie previews (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a comedy about LA residents juggling benefits of internet fame (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your friend being accused of being a intoxicated criminal, and possibly becoming a risky persona non grata). Some could tempting to make a series about internet celebrity that was horribly aspirational—or, worse, one that mocked at its subjects. I Love LA does neither, making for a representation of advantaged millennial living that’s honest about the grot and the shine.
Nuanced Portrayal
“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