The daily stresses of being a finance novice are all unpacked in HBO’s newest drama series “Industry,” which premieres Monday.
From creators/writers Konrad Kay and Mickey Down, the show is primarily focused on a group of young graduates all working for a permanent position at a high-level London bank.
Leading the pack is Harper Stern, an expat with plenty of secrets. She’s played by Myha’la Herrold, who makes her on-screen leading debut with this project. For Herrold, what makes the show particularly special is the confusing time in life it represents.
“What I think will be exciting about this show is that yeah, it’s set in a bank, but I can imagine anyone who’s like, ‘I’m gonna go to school for this then I’m gonna go into this career,’ that little moment of after you graduate before you’re actually doing the thing, like what the heck? Nobody teaches you how to do that.”
“[These characters] are from all walks of life, but all experiencing a sort of imposter syndrome. For Harper, it’s that she has all of these secrets and maybe damning realities of her background, where she comes from, where she went to school that could jeopardize her place at this bank. But what she does have is skill and determination and savvy, and she’s gonna sell that beyond what her records look like.”
Check out the full interview above where Herrold discusses her career journey, working with Lena Dunham as one of the show’s directors, and how she picked up on all the finance lingo!
