The actress and writer on the side-splitting show portraying the messy glamour of today's youth life
The star enters the online meeting and right away starts an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she exclaims, appearing really remorseful. Although she's only a bit late, she feels compelled to justify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Fortunately, for a writer, that’s exactly what you want to encounter. Besides, it’s fairly expected. Those who have seen the unapologetically queer and outspoken project titled Bottoms—which Sennott penned with her creative partner and appeared in alongside close companion The Bear’s standout—would understand that Sennott has much to say, be it on roles, relationships, or the pros of creating a youth fight club. Furthermore, after watching the latest seasonal HBO series I Love LA, it is clear that she carries additional thoughts regarding the struggles of young adulthood (Now in her thirties, Sennott is an honorary member to younger audiences, a tale-end millennial skilled for straddling millennials and Gen Z).
Inspirations and Storytelling Approach
Parallels to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and the actress admits to being a fan, citing it alongside the classic series, the acclaimed comedy and Donald Glover’s series as inspirations for her series, which tracks the struggles of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend who is also fledgling talent manager portrayed by Sennott. However, the most significant spot on the moodboard was reserved for the HBO series, the program about an emerging celebrity making his way in a corrupt Hollywood (memorable line: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She discovered it during lockdown, became “captivated”, and chose to create a new version on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she notes. The idea for this project emerged—in part—from her own, initially fractious, transition to Tinseltown and from the saturn return, a popular event for enthusiasts. This represented a time that involved her understand some big truths, professionally and in private life. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she admits. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Starting Out
Brought up in the East Coast, Sennott commenced creating and acting comedy while studying acting at NYU’s Tisch. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she states. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “None of the university plays cast me either.” “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, performing at amateur nights with Edebiri and posting hilarious (and distinctly) bizarre skits on the internet. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, depicted characters fetishistically drawn to having babies; a different one imagined being employed at the brand Hollister as similar to being stuck in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she met Seligman through campus film circles and eventually appearing in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a religious event with hints of the intense thriller. The central motif of her journey, she explains, has been peers supporting her, as opposed to established gatekeepers. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, stating amusedly: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Career Breakthrough
Anyone who were skeptical about her earlier will certainly be kicking themselves today. As part of she calls a “wild, full-circle” development, she has manifested an ideal role. Previously she shared content titled on LA life online, in which she lampooned film promos (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a show about Angelenos juggling the perks of internet fame (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with its pitfalls (your associate being suspected of being a drug-addled criminal, and possibly becoming a risky outcast). One might simple to make a program about online fame that was horribly idealized—or, worse, one that punched down at those depicted. The series avoids both, making for a depiction of privileged twentysomething life that’s candid about the chaos and the appeal.
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