The actress and writer discussing her uproarious show portraying that messy allure of Gen Z existence
The star enters the digital interview and at once begins an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she states, seeming truly remorseful. Although she's only slightly late, she wants to justify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Fortunately, during an interview, that’s precisely what is ideal to hear. Additionally, it’s pretty expected. Anyone who know her fearlessly openly gay and brash project Bottoms—that she co-wrote with Emma Seligman and featured in alongside collaborator Ayo Edebiri—will be aware that Sennott has a lot to say, whether about roles, relationships, or the pros of creating a teen combat group. Plus, after watching the recent seasonal HBO series I Love LA, it is clear that the star holds even more perspectives on the challenges of Gen Z life (As a millennial, Sennott serves as an honorary member to younger audiences, on the cusp with a knack for bridging millennials and Gen Z).
Inspirations and Storytelling Approach
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show can’t be avoided and Sennott is an admirer, citing the show in addition to Sex and the City, Insecure and Donald Glover’s series as guides for I Love LA, which details the journey of a social media star Tallulah and ally and fledgling agent portrayed by Sennott. Notably, the biggest presence on creative vision was reserved for the popular sitcom, the show about an emerging A-list actor navigating in a corrupt Hollywood (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott began viewing it during COVID-19, became “captivated”, and resolved to add a fresh perspective on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she says. The concept for this project emerged—partly—from firsthand, initially rocky, transition to LA and from her astrological phase, a frequently discussed event for followers. It was a time that included her grasp some big truths, professionally and individually. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she admits. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Humble Origins
Growing up in the East Coast, the star commenced writing and performing humor while studying acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” she says. “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. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
Sennott seized control, taking the stage at amateur nights with Edebiri and sharing hilarious (and very) unconventional comedy videos on the internet. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, followed characters intensely drawn to pregnancy; a different one portrayed being employed at a trendy retail outlet as similar to being trapped in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she connected with Emma through campus film circles and ended up starring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful film set at a funeral gathering with hints of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her path, she explains, has been people her own age offering opportunities, rather than the industry at large. Does that mean bypassing the usual powers? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, continuing amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”
Career Breakthrough
Anyone who questioned regarding Sennott previously will likely be kicking themselves today. Through she describes as a “astonishingly complete” development, she seems to have manifested the perfect project. In 2019 she uploaded a clip titled “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she parodied Hollywood trailers (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with her partner) of a comedy about LA residents managing advantages of internet fame (such as socializing at a celebrity’s house) with its pitfalls (your client being accused of being a drug-addled thief, and perhaps becoming a risky pariah). Some could simple to produce a program about digital influence that was overly glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at the characters. This show avoids both, resulting in a portrait of privileged millennial living that’s candid about the grot and the glamour.
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
