The star enters the online meeting and at once launches into an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she states, seeming genuinely regretful. Despite being only slightly delayed, she feels compelled to clarify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Luckily, in this context, that’s just what you want to encounter. Besides, it’s pretty unsurprising. Those familiar with the unapologetically LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass movie titled Bottoms—that Sennott co-wrote with her creative partner and featured in alongside collaborator The Bear’s standout—will be aware that she has a lot to discuss, ranging from on roles, intimacy, or the pros of forming a high-school combat group. Plus, once you finish her recent eight-part show titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she has even more insights on the darker side of Gen Z life (At 30, she is a bridge of the gang, on the cusp with a knack for straddling both generations).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to the iconic series Girls can’t be avoided and Sennott admits to being an admirer, naming the show alongside Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and the innovative program as guides for her series, which tracks the journey of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend who is also fledgling talent manager Sennott’s character. However, the biggest spot on the moodboard was reserved for the popular sitcom, the program depicting a rising Hollywood star succeeding in a gritty LA scene (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She discovered it amid the pandemic, became “captivated”, and chose 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 explains. The concept for the series emerged—partly—from her own, at first rocky, relocation to Los Angeles and from her saturn return, a much-talked-about event for enthusiasts. That period marked an era that saw her grasp major insights, professionally and personally. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” 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…”
Starting Out
Growing up in Connecticut, the star started creating and acting humor while enrolled in performance at a prestigious arts school. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she says. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
Sennott seized control, appearing at amateur nights with her friend and sharing hysterical (and decidedly) weird skits online. A particular video, Baby Cult, centered on a group of women obsessively obsessed with motherhood; a different one imagined working at the brand Hollister as similar to being stuck in a thriller. Interestingly, she encountered Emma through the university’s film scene and ultimately featuring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a Jewish wake with hints of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The big theme of her career, she notes, has been peers offering opportunities, instead of the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, stating amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Rising Success
Individuals who were skeptical about her then will likely be feeling foolish now. As part of she calls a “astonishingly complete” development, she has manifested the perfect project. In 2019 she uploaded content titled “it’s LA” online, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a series about LA residents managing advantages of digital stardom (such as celebrating at Elijah Wood’s house) with drawbacks (your friend being labeled as being a substance-abusing stealer, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). Some could easy to make a series about internet celebrity that was overly idealized—or, more problematic, one that belittled at those depicted. This show avoids both, creating a depiction of affluent young adult life that’s candid about the chaos and the appeal.
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
