The star appears on the digital interview and immediately launches into an excuse. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, sounding truly apologetic. Despite being only a couple of minutes delayed, she feels compelled to explain. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Luckily, in this context, that’s exactly what you want to experience. Moreover, it’s fairly unsurprising. Anyone familiar with her boldly LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass movie Bottoms—which she penned with her creative partner and starred in with her friend The Bear’s standout—will be aware that Sennott holds a lot to say, be it on identity, relationships, or the pros of forming a teen combat group. Furthermore, once you finish the latest seasonal HBO series I Love LA, it is clear that the star holds additional thoughts regarding the challenges of modern youth (Now in her thirties, Sennott serves as a relatable figure to younger audiences, straddling eras with a knack for bridging both generations).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show are inevitable and Sennott readily acknowledges enthusiastic, naming the show in addition to the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as guides for the project, which tracks the travails of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend and fledgling representative Maia. Notably, the biggest spot on the moodboard belonged to the HBO series, that show about an emerging A-list actor succeeding in an often-seedy Hollywood (notable statement: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She started watching it throughout the pandemic, became “hooked”, and resolved 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 idea for the series emerged—partly—from firsthand, initially rocky, relocation to LA and from her cosmic event, a frequently discussed phenomenon for followers. It was a time that included her learn significant life lessons, work-wise and personally. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she admits. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Humble Origins
Brought up in New England, Sennott started writing and performing comedy while studying performance at a prestigious arts school. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she explains. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “None of the university plays cast me either.” And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at live shows with Ayo and posting hilarious (and decidedly) bizarre skits online. One, titled Baby Cult, depicted characters fetishistically obsessed with pregnancy; another imagined working at a trendy retail outlet as like being trapped in a scary movie. Interestingly, she met Seligman through the university’s film scene and ended up featuring in her first film, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a funeral gathering with shades of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her career, she notes, has been peers offering opportunities, rather than the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she emphasizes, stating with a laugh: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Those who were skeptical regarding her previously will likely be feeling foolish today. As part of she labels a “astonishingly complete” turn of events, she has created the perfect project. In 2019 she shared content titled about Los Angeles on the internet, in which she lampooned movie previews (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a series about city dwellers managing the perks of online celebrity (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your client being labeled as being a intoxicated thief, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). One might simple to make a program about internet celebrity that was extremely idealized—or, even less favorable, one that mocked at the characters. The series steers clear of each, making for a portrait of privileged twentysomething living that’s candid 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
