The actress and writer exploring her hilarious comedy about that chaotic allure of Gen Z existence
The star enters the online meeting and immediately begins an explanation. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, appearing truly regretful. Despite being only a couple of minutes late, she wants to justify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Thankfully, in this context, this is precisely what is ideal to encounter. Besides, it’s pretty predictable. Anyone familiar with the boldly queer and brash film Bottoms—that Sennott penned with Emma Seligman and featured in alongside her friend Ayo Edebiri—can be aware that she possesses a lot to discuss, whether on identity, intimacy, or the appeal of creating a teen fight club. And, after watching the new multi-episode HBO series I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she has additional insights regarding the struggles of young adulthood (Now in her thirties, she serves as a bridge of the gang, straddling eras skilled for straddling millennials and Gen Z).
Guiding Lights and Creative Vision
Likenesses to the iconic series Girls can’t be avoided and the actress readily acknowledges a fan, naming it together with the HBO hit, Insecure and the innovative program as influences for the project, which follows the journey of an influencer Tallulah and close companion and aspiring talent manager Maia. Notably, the largest influence on the moodboard went to the popular sitcom, the program focusing on a rising celebrity making his way in a gritty entertainment industry (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott began viewing it amid lockdown, became “captivated”, and resolved to put her own twist 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 concept for this project emerged—in part—from her own, initially fractious, transition to Los Angeles and from her saturn return, a popular occurrence for followers. It was an era that saw her learn some big truths, work-wise and individually. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she admits. “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…”
Starting Out
Growing up in Connecticut, Sennott began developing and showcasing comedy while enrolled in theatre at a prestigious arts school. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she states. “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. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
She took matters into her own hands, performing at live shows with Ayo and sharing uproarious (and distinctly) unconventional skits digitally. A particular video, Baby Cult, centered on several females fetishistically fixated on pregnancy; another envisioned being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being caught in a horror film. Interestingly, she connected with Emma through NYU’s movie community and eventually appearing in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a Jewish wake with hints of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her path, she explains, has been peers supporting her, rather than the industry at large. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “They were not involved”, she confirms, stating amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Rising Success
Anyone who questioned regarding her previously will likely be regretting it today. As part of she describes as a “astonishingly complete” development, she appears to achieved her dream vehicle. A few years back she shared content titled about Los Angeles on the internet, in which she parodied Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with the co-writer) of a show about city dwellers managing benefits of internet fame (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your client being suspected of being a substance-abusing thief, and possibly becoming a risky persona non grata). Some could easy to produce a show about internet celebrity that was horribly idealized—or, worse, one that punched down at the characters. This show avoids both, resulting in a depiction of affluent young adult life that’s candid about the mess and the appeal.
Nuanced Portrayal
“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” 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
