The actress and writer on the uproarious comedy about the grotty glamour of Gen Z lifestyle
The performer enters the digital interview and immediately begins an explanation. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, appearing really apologetic. Although she's only a couple of minutes late, 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!” Thankfully, during an interview, this is exactly what one hopes to encounter. Besides, it’s fairly unsurprising. Those familiar with her boldly queer and unapologetically crass movie titled Bottoms—which Sennott penned with the director and appeared in together with close companion Ayo Edebiri—would already know that she has much to say, whether on gender, intimacy, or the appeal of creating a high-school combat group. Furthermore, once you finish the latest multi-episode program titled I Love LA, viewers realize that she has additional thoughts on the darker side of Gen Z life (As a millennial, Sennott is a relatable figure of the gang, a tale-end millennial skilled for straddling millennials and Gen Z).
Influences and Storytelling Approach
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and Sennott readily acknowledges an admirer, naming the show in addition to Sex and the City, Insecure and Atlanta as inspirations for the project, which tracks the journey of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion who is also fledgling talent manager Maia. Perhaps, the most significant influence on the moodboard belonged to the HBO series, that HBO sitcom about an emerging A-list actor making his way in a corrupt LA scene (memorable line: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott discovered it amid the pandemic, became “hooked”, and resolved to create a new version on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she notes. The concept for the series emerged—partly—from her own, initially fractious, move to Tinseltown and from her astrological phase, a popular occurrence for followers. That period marked a phase that saw her grasp major truths, work-wise and in private life. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she recalls. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Humble Origins
Raised in the East Coast, the star began creating and acting stand-up while studying performance at NYU’s Tisch. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she says. “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. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at amateur nights with Edebiri and uploading hilarious (and decidedly) bizarre skits on the internet. One, Baby Cult, followed several females fetishistically drawn to pregnancy; a different one portrayed being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being stuck in a thriller. By chance, she met Seligman through NYU’s movie community and eventually appearing in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, a tense film set at a funeral gathering with shades of Uncut Gems. A recurring idea of her career, she explains, has been people her own age giving her a shot, rather than established gatekeepers. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, continuing with a laugh: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Career Breakthrough
Individuals who were skeptical regarding her then will certainly be feeling foolish now. As part of she describes as a “incredibly circular” story, she appears to manifested an ideal role. Previously she posted a clip titled “it’s LA” online, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with her partner) of a show about city dwellers balancing advantages of online celebrity (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with downsides (your associate being suspected of being a substance-abusing stealer, and potentially becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). One might easy to produce a show about internet celebrity that was overly glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that mocked at its subjects. This show does neither, resulting in a portrait of advantaged young adult life that’s honest about the grot and the shine.
Nuanced Portrayal
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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