Rachel Sennott Reveals The Bizarre Reason I Love LA Sex Scenes Left Her Uneasy

Rachel Sennott kicked off her new HBO series by doing something very Rachel Sennott: she opens the pilot in bed with Josh Hutcherson, mid-birthday sex, while an earthquake hits Los Angeles. And because she is also the showrunner, she had to choreograph that scene for herself. That combo is as funny and awkward as it sounds, and she says it felt pretty "bizarre" to manage both sides at once.

The opening gag is a quake, and it tells you who these people are

The first scene of 'I Love LA' throws us into bed with Maia (Sennott) and her boyfriend Dylan (Hutcherson) on the morning of her 27th birthday. The ground starts shaking, the mood keeps going, and the tone of the show is immediately clear: horny, chaotic, and oddly sweet. Conan O'Brien called out on his podcast that it is more than a shock opener; it sets up Maia's sense of humor and the show's vibe in one move. Sennott has also joked in a clip shared by Variety about her parents watching that opening scene, which, yeah, imagine that family screening.

Sennott's take: if you are going to show sex, make it funny and specific

"For me, sex, if you are going to show it in a show or movie, it should be funny. It should tell you something about the relationship."

On 'Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend,' the 'Bottoms' star explained she was fully comfortable doing the intimate material. The tricky part was the logistics of being both the boss and the actor. She described bouncing between roles with the intimacy coordinator like this:

"I would have the conversation with her as the showrunner, and she would be like 'totally,' and then she'd call me thirty minutes later and be like, 'So this is what they are thinking.'"

That is a pretty unusual workflow, but it did what it needed to: keep everyone safe, clear, and on the same comedic page.

Hutcherson on intimacy coordinators: this is how you get the best work

Hutcherson told Cosmopolitan that having an intimacy coordinator on 'I Love LA' was a game-changer compared to past projects without one, where shoots dragged and someone ended up uncomfortable.

"We worked with an intimacy coordinator, which was super helpful. I have been in situations where there is not one and it is awkward... But having one for this show made it so we could perform at the highest level. They talk you through the shot list and have separate discussions with each actor to take stock of everyone's comfort levels and ensure we are not feeling any pressure. And they call the director to find out what they are trying to accomplish. There are these little separate negotiations that help us land on a finished product everyone feels good about. It just feels like the best way to do it."

On this show, the coordinator was a true creative partner and advocate, building a safe, supportive set so the comedy could actually land. Even the marketing teams got in on the vibe: HBO Max Brasil hyped up the Sennott-Hutcherson pairing on November 9, 2025, emojis and all.

So, how is the show landing?

'I Love LA' premiered November 2, 2025, and critics are into the whole package: Sennott's very Gen Z sensibility blended with happily absurd humor. The combination of raunch and heart is exactly the lane she thrives in.

Quick hits: 'I Love LA'

• Title: 'I Love LA'
• Platform: HBO (streaming in the U.S. on HBO Max)
• Genre: Comedy, drama
• Creator: Rachel Sennott
• Lead cast: Rachel Sennott as Maia; Josh Hutcherson as Dylan
• Premise: A dark comedy about Maia, a millennial navigating love, friendship, and the absolute chaos of Los Angeles
• What it is doing: Mixing raunchy laughs with real emotional beats, zeroing in on messy relationships and modern dating
• Release: Dropped November 2, 2025

'I Love LA' is now streaming on HBO Max in the U.S.