Rachel Sennott gushes over Leighton Meester after casting her in I Love LA

Rachel Sennott has reflected on working with Leighton Meester.

The Bodies Bodies Bodies actress has opened up about casting Meester in her new comedy series I Love LA, which she both wrote and stars in.

Speaking to Bustle, Rachel revealed that she had been a longtime fan of the Gossip Girl star.

"Oh my god, I'm obsessed with Leighton, have been since Gossip Girl," she said. "I think she's just so funny and talented, so funny in this show."

The 30-year-old went on to explain that she instantly knew Leighton was perfect for the role of Alyssa - the ambitious boss to her character, Maia.

"I'm just a huge fan of hers, and then I Zoomed with her because I really thought she could be amazing for the role," she told the publication. "She's so lovely and cool, and down to improv and play, and was just a dream to work with. She's so good."

Meanwhile, Odessa A'zion, who plays Tallulah in the series, praised Leighton's ability to balance humour and depth in her performance.

"(She) really nailed that character too," she stated. "I feel that her character, specifically, is kind of a hard one to get, because you don't want to overdo it or anything, and she really did it perfectly. It felt really real."

Meanwhile, Leighton credited Rachel for creating "a really fun world to live in", adding that filming the series allowed her to "play and explore and develop" over the course of a year.

"There was just a lot of freedom there, a lot of trust, and an agreed-upon (sentiment of) like, 'Everyone's on this journey, we're all on this crew,'" she told the publication. "It just felt comfortable, more and more so throughout, and that's a really nice environment for finding not only your character, but the funny moment for each scene."

I Love LA airs on Sundays on HBO.