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The performer joins the digital interview and right away launches into an apology. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she states, sounding really remorseful. She is only slightly late, she wants to explain. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Luckily, in this context, this is precisely what you want to hear. Moreover, it’s pretty unsurprising. Those who have seen the unapologetically queer and unapologetically crass film Bottoms—which Sennott co-wrote with Emma Seligman and appeared in with collaborator Ayo Edebiri—can understand that she holds much to share, be it on gender, intimacy, or the merits of forming a high-school fight club. And, after watching her recent eight-part program I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she carries even more perspectives regarding the darker side of Gen Z life (As a millennial, Sennott serves as a relatable figure for this generation, straddling eras adept for straddling both generations).

Guiding Lights and Storytelling Approach

The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show are inevitable and the actress is enthusiastic, naming it together with the classic series, the acclaimed comedy and Donald Glover’s series as inspirations for the project, which tracks the travails of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and ally and aspiring talent manager Maia. Perhaps, the most significant presence on creative vision went to Entourage, that program depicting a rising celebrity making his way in a gritty entertainment industry (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott started watching it amid COVID-19, became “hooked”, and decided to add a fresh perspective on it “for the girls and the gays”.

“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she notes. The inspiration for the series came—partly—from her own, originally difficult, move to Los Angeles and from the cosmic event, a frequently discussed event for astrology heads. That period marked a time that saw her learn significant truths, professionally and personally. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she recalls. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. It was almost like these biblical tests …”

Starting Out

Raised in New England, the star started writing and performing comedy while pursuing performance at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she states. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” 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?”

Sennott took matters into her own hands, appearing at live shows with her friend and sharing uproarious (and distinctly) bizarre comedy videos digitally. One, titled Baby Cult, followed a group of women intensely obsessed with pregnancy; another portrayed working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as similar to being caught in a horror film. In a neat twist of fate, she encountered Emma through NYU’s movie community and eventually appearing in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a tense film set at a funeral gathering with hints of the intense thriller. The central motif of her journey, she notes, has been people her own age giving her a shot, as opposed to established gatekeepers. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “Definitely not them”, she emphasizes, adding with a laugh: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”

Rising Success

Those who questioned regarding Sennott earlier will likely be regretting it now. Through she describes as a “incredibly circular” development, she appears to manifested an ideal role. Previously she shared a video titled about Los Angeles on social media, in which she mocked movie previews (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a comedy about Angelenos managing the perks of digital stardom (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your associate being labeled as being a intoxicated thief, and potentially becoming a risky outcast). Some could easy to make a show about online fame that was horribly aspirational—or, more problematic, one that mocked at the characters. The series steers clear of each, creating a representation of privileged millennial existence that’s honest about the chaos and the shine.

Empathetic Approach

“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” 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