I Love LA: Leighton Meester on Finding Safety in Rachel's Show
Leighton Meester, who plays a stereotypical LA publicist named Alyssa in the HBO series I Love LA, shared how parts of the show resonated with her real-life experiences. While her personal relationship with her own publicist wasn’t reflected in the show, the toxic workplace dynamics portrayed were familiar.
Reflection on Toxic Work Environments
During an interview, Meester revealed she has endured toxic work environments before. She explained the challenging dynamic between her character Alyssa and Maia, played by Rachel Sennott, who is hoping for a promotion. Meester said:
“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.”
Her co-star Josh Hutcherson expressed surprise that she had such experiences in the industry, to which Meester responded:
“It’s shocking.”
Finding a Safe Space in Comedy
Meester appreciated working on I Love LA because it created a safe, comedic space to explore difficult workplace themes. She said the toxic environment dynamic was:
“Really fun to play with in a safe, comedic environment.”
This safety allowed her to fully embrace the excitement of the role, freeing her creatively.
Author’s Summary
Leighton Meester values I Love LA as a safe platform to explore complex toxic workplace dynamics with humor, reflecting her own past challenges and creative growth.