I Love LA is an American comedy TV show created by and starring Rachel Sennott. The show premiered on November 2, 2025, and stars Jordan Firstman, Josh Hutcherson, Odessa A’zion, True Whitaker, and Rachel in lead roles. The show also stars Leighton Meester, and now, during a conversation with PEOPLE, she has gotten candid about how Sennott’s workspace is ‘safer and more comical’ compared to her previous experiences.
Leighton Meester gets candid about her working experience with Rachel Sennott and the team of I Love LA
Parts of the craziness of I Love LA definitely rang true for Leighton Meester. The actress essays the role of a stereotypical LA publicist, who is also ‘Maia’s’ (Rachel Sennott) boss in the HBO series. And while her own experiences with her real-life publicist weren’t reflected in the show, other parts of the story hit home. In a candid conversation, Meester shared her experience working in toxic environments.
During the conversation, Leighton Meester revealed that she has been in ‘toxic work environments’ before. The actress shared this in reference to the tricky dynamic between ‘Maia’, who’s hoping for a promotion, and her character, ‘Alyssa’. Reflecting on how it, she was quoted as saying:
“I’ve been in toxic work environments. I think that a lot of people have experienced that, being around people who sort of… I don’t know, just, like, you have a boss that maybe doesn’t uplift you, or whatever.”
Leighton Meester reflects on how it feels to work in a safe work environment with I Love LA
Leighton Meester was paired with Josh Hutcherson, who also costars on the series, for PEOPLE’s interview. The actor expressed his shock at her confession that she’s had experiences with less-than-pleasant bosses. The actor said, “In this industry, that’s happened to you?” To which Meester admitted that “It’s shocking.” The actress further reflected on how it feels to work on a show that feels safe, finally. Meester notes that the toxic work environment dynamic was “really fun to play with in a safe, comedic environment,” as in I Love LA.
Josh Hutcherson finds his character oddly soothing
The fact that Leighton didn’t exactly do so, “in some ways, freed me to really feel the thrill of the ride.” Hutcherson, who, on the other hand, plays ‘Maia’s’ boyfriend, ‘Dylan’ in I Love LA, revealed that he sees a lot of himself in the character. He revealed that, as someone who wants to plan every move in real life, the character felt oddly relatable, especially because they share the habit of being “attracted towards chaos,” so he’s not really doing himself any favors.
During the conversation, Josh Hutcherson revealed that he feels like Dylan also always wants to plan things in a way that makes sense. However, he himself has a thing for surrounding himself with people who are the complete opposite of that. He was quoted as saying:
“In general, I feel like Dylan is very much wanting to plan things and do things in a way that are logical and make sense. And I feel that I have a knack for surrounding myself with people that are the opposite, and that can be frustrating at times…I think that that hit home, just the idea of — there’s a way that things can be done that make life just easier, and just a little tiny bit of planning goes a long way.”
What are your thoughts on I Love LA’s Leighton Meester and Josh Hutcherson’s revelations?
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