The actress and writer discussing her side-splitting show about that messy allure of today's youth existence
The star joins the digital interview and right away begins an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, appearing really regretful. Although she's only slightly delayed, she feels compelled to justify. “My phone conversations always run long.” I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Thankfully, in this context, this is exactly what you want to experience. Besides, it’s pretty unsurprising. Those who know the unapologetically openly gay and outspoken film Bottoms—that she co-wrote with Emma Seligman and featured in with collaborator Ayo Edebiri—will understand that she possesses a lot to discuss, whether about identity, sex, or the pros of forming a youth brawl society. And, by the end the latest seasonal HBO series I Love LA, it is clear that she carries even more insights regarding the challenges of young adulthood (At 30, she serves as a bridge to younger audiences, straddling eras skilled for bridging both generations).
Guiding Lights and Artistic Direction
Parallels to the iconic series Girls can’t be avoided and the actress admits to being an admirer, naming it in addition to the classic series, Insecure and Donald Glover’s series as influences for her series, which details the journey of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend and new talent manager Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the largest spot on the moodboard went to Entourage, the program focusing on a rising Hollywood star navigating in a corrupt Hollywood (memorable line: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She started watching it amid lockdown, became “hooked”, and decided to add a fresh perspective on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she explains. The inspiration for the series came—to some extent—from firsthand, at first rocky, move to Tinseltown and from her astrological phase, a popular occurrence for astrology heads. It was a time that involved her understand significant insights, in her career and individually. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” 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
Brought up in Connecticut, Sennott began developing and showcasing comedy while studying acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she states. “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?”
She seized control, taking the stage at live shows with Ayo and posting uproarious (and distinctly) weird online content digitally. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, depicted characters obsessively fixated on motherhood; a different one envisioned being employed at a trendy retail outlet as like being trapped in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she encountered Seligman through campus film circles and ultimately appearing in her first film, Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a religious event with shades of Uncut Gems. The big theme of her path, she says, has been contemporaries offering opportunities, as opposed to traditional networks. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, stating amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”
Rising Success
Those who were skeptical regarding Sennott earlier will likely be regretting it today. In what she describes as a “incredibly circular” turn of events, she seems to have achieved an ideal role. Previously she shared a video titled “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she lampooned film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a series about Angelenos juggling advantages of internet fame (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being suspected of being a substance-abusing thief, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). Some could easy to produce a program about digital influence that was extremely glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that mocked at its subjects. This show does neither, resulting in a depiction of affluent young adult living that’s honest about the mess and the appeal.
Nuanced Portrayal
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” she comments. “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
