The performer enters the digital interview and at once begins an apology. “Apologies for the delay!” she exclaims, sounding really remorseful. She is only a bit 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!” Fortunately, in this context, that’s just what one hopes to hear. Besides, it’s pretty predictable. Those who have seen the unapologetically openly gay and brash project titled Bottoms—that she penned with her creative partner and starred in with close companion the talented actress—would understand that Sennott possesses a lot to share, whether on roles, sex, or the pros of starting a youth combat group. Furthermore, once you finish the new multi-episode HBO series titled I Love LA, it is clear that the star carries further perspectives on the challenges of young adulthood (As a millennial, she represents an honorary member of the gang, straddling eras adept for straddling different age groups).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s Girls can’t be avoided and the actress readily acknowledges an admirer, naming it in addition to the classic series, Insecure and Donald Glover’s series as inspirations for her series, which details the travails of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion who is also aspiring agent portrayed by Sennott. However, the most significant presence on the moodboard belonged to the HBO series, the program focusing on an up-and-coming celebrity succeeding in a gritty LA scene (choice quote: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott began viewing it during lockdown, became “captivated”, and chose 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 notes. The concept for this project originated—to some extent—from firsthand, originally rocky, transition to LA and from the cosmic event, a frequently discussed phenomenon for followers. That period marked an era that involved her grasp some big life lessons, work-wise and personally. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she recalls. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Humble Origins
Brought up in the East Coast, Sennott started developing and showcasing stand-up while pursuing performance at a prestigious arts school. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she explains. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
Sennott decided to act independently, performing at amateur nights with her friend and sharing hilarious (and very) bizarre skits on the internet. A particular video, Baby Cult, depicted several females fetishistically obsessed with pregnancy; another portrayed working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being trapped in a thriller. Interestingly, she encountered Emma through campus film circles and eventually appearing in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a stressful film set at a religious event with shades of the intense thriller. The central motif of her journey, she explains, has been peers supporting her, rather than established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, adding humorously: “They don’t want us to win.”
Career Breakthrough
Those who questioned about Sennott then will surely be regretting it today. In what she labels a “wild, full-circle” development, she seems to have achieved an ideal role. In 2019 she posted content titled “it’s LA” online, in which she parodied film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about Angelenos managing the perks of internet fame (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your client being labeled as being a substance-abusing thief, and possibly becoming a unreliable pariah). Some could simple to create a program about digital influence that was extremely idealized—or, more problematic, one that punched down at the characters. This show avoids both, making for a portrait of affluent young adult existence that’s frank about the chaos and the glamour.
Balanced Perspective
“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
