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The performer enters the digital interview and right away launches into an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she states, appearing really remorseful. Although she's only slightly late, she feels compelled to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Luckily, during an interview, this is precisely what one hopes to experience. Besides, it’s fairly expected. Those familiar with her unapologetically queer and brash project Bottoms—which she collaborated on with her creative partner and appeared in alongside her friend Ayo Edebiri—will be aware that Sennott has plenty to discuss, ranging from about roles, sex, or the appeal of forming a teen fight club. Plus, after watching her recent multi-episode program I Love LA, it is clear that she holds further perspectives about the darker side of Gen Z life (At 30, Sennott is a relatable figure of the gang, a tale-end millennial with a knack for bridging millennials and Gen Z).

Guiding Lights and Artistic Direction

Likenesses to the iconic series Girls can’t be avoided and the actress readily acknowledges an admirer, referencing the show alongside the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as guides for her series, which follows the journey of a social media star Tallulah and ally who is also aspiring representative Sennott’s character. Notably, the largest spot on concept belonged to Entourage, that program focusing on an up-and-coming A-list actor navigating in an often-seedy Hollywood (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She started watching it throughout the pandemic, became “captivated”, and resolved to add a fresh perspective 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 explains. The concept for this project emerged—in part—from her own, initially fractious, transition to Los Angeles and from her saturn return, a popular phenomenon for astrology heads. That period marked an era that included her grasp some big insights, in her career and in private life. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she says. “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 started writing and performing stand-up while studying performance at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she explains. “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 seized control, appearing at open mics with her friend and sharing hilarious (and distinctly) weird comedy videos online. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, followed characters obsessively drawn to motherhood; a different one portrayed working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being trapped in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she met Emma through the university’s film scene and ended up starring in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a Jewish wake with echoes of Uncut Gems. A recurring idea of her journey, she notes, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, rather than the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she confirms, stating amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”

Rising Success

Those who had doubts regarding Sennott previously will surely be kicking themselves currently. As part of she describes as a “astonishingly complete” turn of events, she seems to have manifested an ideal role. A few years back she posted a video titled “it’s LA” online, in which she parodied movie previews (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with the co-writer) of a show about city dwellers managing advantages of internet fame (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with drawbacks (your associate being labeled as being a drug-addled criminal, and perhaps becoming a “brand unsafe” pariah). It would be easy to produce a program about online fame that was overly glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that mocked at the characters. This show does neither, making for a depiction of advantaged millennial life that’s frank about the mess 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