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The star appears on the online meeting and immediately launches into an excuse. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, seeming really remorseful. She is only slightly behind, she needs to clarify. “My phone conversations always run long.” I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Fortunately, during an interview, this is exactly what one hopes to experience. Additionally, it’s pretty predictable. Viewers familiar with her boldly queer and unapologetically crass movie titled Bottoms—which Sennott penned with the director and starred in with her friend the talented actress—can already know that she has plenty to say, be it about roles, relationships, or the merits of creating a youth fight club. Plus, by the end the recent seasonal show titled I Love LA, viewers realize that the star holds additional insights on the darker side of young adulthood (As a millennial, Sennott serves as a bridge of the gang, a tale-end millennial skilled for straddling millennials and Gen Z).

Inspirations and Storytelling Approach

The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s Girls can’t be avoided and Sennott readily acknowledges a fan, referencing the show in addition to Sex and the City, Issa Rae’s show and Donald Glover’s series as inspirations for I Love LA, which follows the struggles of an influencer Tallulah and her friend and fledgling agent Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the most significant influence on concept belonged to Entourage, that HBO sitcom about an up-and-coming Hollywood star succeeding in an often-seedy Hollywood (notable statement: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott discovered it amid COVID-19, became “captivated”, and resolved to put her own twist 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 explains. The inspiration for the series came—to some extent—from her own, initially rocky, move to Tinseltown and from the cosmic event, a much-talked-about phenomenon for enthusiasts. It was an era that saw her learn major 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…”

Starting Out

Growing up in the East Coast, the star began developing and showcasing humor while enrolled in acting at NYU’s Tisch. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she says. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “None of the university plays cast me either.” And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”

She decided to act independently, taking the stage at amateur nights with her friend and uploading hysterical (and distinctly) weird skits digitally. One, titled Baby Cult, centered on a group of women intensely obsessed with having babies; another portrayed being employed at the brand Hollister as similar to being caught in a scary movie. Interestingly, she met Emma through the university’s film scene and ultimately appearing in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, a tense film set at a religious event with echoes of Uncut Gems. The central motif of her path, she notes, has been peers supporting her, as opposed to traditional networks. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Not the gatekeepers”, she repeats, stating humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”

Manifesting Dreams

Anyone who questioned about Sennott then will surely be feeling foolish now. In what she describes as a “wild, full-circle” development, she has manifested an ideal role. A few years back she posted content named about Los Angeles online, in which she mocked Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a series about city dwellers juggling advantages of digital stardom (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your friend being accused of being a drug-addled criminal, and possibly becoming a risky persona non grata). It would be easy to create a series about internet celebrity that was extremely idealized—or, even less favorable, one that mocked at those depicted. The series avoids both, resulting in a portrait of privileged millennial living that’s candid about the mess and the appeal.

Empathetic Approach

“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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