Industry season 4 cast talk "testing the limits" of character likability – as The Handmaid's Tale and Ted Lasso favourites join "Industry 2.0"

This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine.

As Industry roars back for its fourth series, it’s all change for the graduate class of 2000. When the BBC/HBO drama launched during the pandemic lockdowns, we were introduced to Harper Stern, Yasmin Kara-Hanani, Gus Sackey, Hari Dhar and Robert Spearing, fresh-faced new hires on the trading floor of City of London firm Pierpoint and Co. Now, over five years on, just Harper (Myha’la) and Yasmin (Marisa Abela) are left standing.

Not that the acclaimed drama, the brainchild of former bankers Mickey Down and Konrad Kay, now lacks acting or narrative firepower. Far from it. For season four, new characters include an American banking disruptor played by Max Minghella (The Handmaid’s Tale) and Toheeb Jimoh (Ted Lasso) as a trader who is working closely – very closely – with Harper.

Radio Times spoke to some of the stars of Industry ahead of the new episodes.

Myha’la plays Harper and Marisa Abela plays Yasmin

Harper and Yas are kind of “toxic frenemies” — what do they get from being in each other’s orbit?

Myha’la: They get so much from each other. I wonder also if they can be apart in this world, considering how much they’ve gone through, how much they know about each other? Yas and Harper’s is probably one of the most intimate relationships. And honesty is hard to come by in the business that they work in, so they need each other for that reason.

How does your on-screen and off-screen relationship compare?

Marisa: Well, we haven’t slapped each other – yet!

Myha’la: There’s still time!

You both started out at similar stages in your working lives, and as the show has grown, so have your careers. What impact has it had?

Myha’la: This show is the reason anybody knows about me! For so many of us, this show kickstarted our careers. And with Marisa and I, our careers have seemed to mirror each other.

Given the stubbornly patriarchal mores of film and TV drama, how refreshing is it to be able to play complex and not always wholly likeable women?

Marisa: It’s really refreshing. Having two young women at the heart of a TV show that’s about a male-dominated industry – while working [as actors] in a male-dominated industry ourselves – we’re showing people how exciting it can be when it’s done well. And that women are worth listening to. That is what’s really exciting to me – as well as inspiring others to write richer female parts, and knowing that people aren’t going to have a problem with forgiving flawed female characters. Because I think that’s where studios get it wrong. They’re afraid to make a character unforgivable. Yasmin and Harper have done some pretty unforgivable things, and we’re testing the limits all the time. And we’re still around – so don’t be afraid!

Marisa, did your BAFTA win for best actress last year change anything for you, going into the filming of this fourth series?

Marisa: Not at all. I was just so happy, obviously, that the show had been recognised. Not just for me, but for Mickey and Konrad and everyone. That’s really important for a crew, too. We’re not just chilling here, we’re making something that people are watching. I hope my BAFTA is a gateway drug for the show, and people start to realise how much richness there is in the entirety of this season.

Max and Toheeb join this new series. How helpful is that new injection of energy?

Myha’la Oh, it’s always so exciting! Everyone who’s come on has been a fan of the show, and they’ve been really excited to join us. I bring that too. I love this show. I like watching it. I like seeing the bits that I’m not in. So, there’s a focus and excitement every day going to work. It doesn’t feel like a chore.

Max Minghella plays Whitney

Who is Whitney Halberstram?

He is an enigmatic person. We meet Whitney alongside his longtime friend and business partner, Jay Jonah Atterbury [Kal Penn]. They’re two Americans who have a company called Tender, an electronic payment system. Whitney is interested in turning it into, essentially, a bank in your pocket and aggressively moving into this future. Jonah is a little reticent.

Industry brilliantly reinvents itself every series. Did it feel like you were joining a new show?

As somebody who loves Industry, loves Pierpoint and had already fallen in love with these characters, I was scared of stepping into what felt almost like a reboot of the show. We were trying to retain the DNA of the drama. But there’s something exciting about season four – if you haven’t seen the show before, you can start here. It is almost like Industry 2.0.

As a Londoner, how meaningful is it coming back from America and working on a British series?

Massively – I’ve not had the privilege of working in England very much in my life. But I did Industry and then I did a movie, Clayface, right afterwards, also in the UK. So, I had a special year of getting to be back for almost 10 months. While I missed my dog horribly, it was really nice.

You’re also the director on a new project. Did the directing bug come from your dad, Anthony Minghella?

I would say movies have always been in me because of my mother and my father. My mother [choreographer Carolyn Choa] was my first introduction to movies and infected me when I was about three years old.

Toheeb Jimoh plays Kwabena

Tell us about Kwabena Bannerman?

He’s a trader, a public schoolboy. The education he’s paid for has instilled him with confidence that only private school can give you. In Industry, everything’s really high-stakes and everyone feels like their lives are determined by their money and status in their company. But Kwabena has a “let me come in, cash my cheque and bounce” approach to work – very different to the traders that we’ve seen on the show.

Why do you think a show all about financial wheeler-dealing has been such a huge hit?

People relate to the bustle of hustle culture, especially my generation. Everybody has their head down and is just trying to find themselves. But for the most part, you’re doing that at work. So the stress, people making ridiculous sacrifices in order to find value in themselves at work, is a thing that most people can relate to.

We often think of finance as being white-dominated. How important is representation in the show?

Really important. With working-class characters, if their accent changes, it can help people forget that they’re not a part of the club that occupies the space. But if you’re black, you’re always going to stand out. The show asks the question: “What sacrifices are you willing to make to survive?” As the season goes on, we watch Kwabena start to wonder whether it’s a worthy trade-off.

Apparently you were filming in a river this afternoon. What are you shooting?

I’m not sure I can discuss that yet! But it’s an exciting project. It’s a film, and it’s one that’s really dear to me. But I can tell you, it’s not Ted Lasso season four!

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