The performer enters the online meeting and right away starts an excuse. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, sounding really apologetic. Despite being only a couple of minutes behind, she feels compelled to clarify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Luckily, in this context, this is just what one hopes to hear. Moreover, it’s fairly expected. Anyone familiar with her fearlessly openly gay and outspoken project Bottoms—that she penned with Emma Seligman and starred in together with close companion The Bear’s standout—will be aware that Sennott possesses much to share, ranging from on gender, sex, or the merits of creating a youth combat group. Plus, once you finish the recent seasonal show titled I Love LA, it is clear that the star has even more perspectives regarding the challenges of modern youth (At 30, Sennott serves as a relatable figure of the gang, a tale-end millennial with a knack for connecting both generations).
Guiding Lights and Storytelling Approach
Likenesses to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and the actress is an admirer, naming the show together with Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and the innovative program as guides for her series, which follows the travails of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion and aspiring representative Maia. However, the largest spot on the moodboard belonged to Entourage, the HBO sitcom depicting an up-and-coming Hollywood star making his way in a corrupt Hollywood (memorable line: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She started watching it during COVID-19, became “hooked”, and decided 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 concept for this project originated—to some extent—from firsthand, originally rocky, transition to Tinseltown and from her cosmic event, a popular phenomenon for enthusiasts. This represented a phase that saw her learn some big truths, 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
Brought up in the East Coast, Sennott commenced developing and showcasing humor while studying acting at a prestigious arts school. “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. 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 decided to act independently, taking the stage at live shows with Edebiri and posting hilarious (and very) weird comedy videos online. One, Baby Cult, depicted a group of women obsessively obsessed with having babies; another portrayed working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being trapped in a scary movie. Interestingly, she met Emma through the university’s film scene and eventually featuring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a stressful comedy set at a funeral gathering with hints of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The big theme of her journey, she notes, has been peers giving her a shot, rather than established gatekeepers. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she confirms, continuing with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”
Manifesting Dreams
Individuals who questioned regarding her previously will surely be feeling foolish now. As part of she describes as a “wild, full-circle” turn of events, she has manifested an ideal role. A few years back she posted a video called “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she parodied movie previews (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Years later, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a comedy about LA residents balancing benefits of digital stardom (such as partying at a famous actor’s house) with drawbacks (your friend being accused of being a substance-abusing criminal, and possibly becoming a unreliable outcast). One might tempting to make a show about online fame that was overly aspirational—or, even less favorable, one that belittled at the characters. I Love LA does neither, resulting in a depiction of affluent young adult living that’s honest about the grot and the appeal.
Balanced Perspective
“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
