Myha’la of HBO’s ‘Industry’ Cares More About ‘How Finance People Feel’ Than the Jargon They Use

Season 2 of HBO’s “Industry” ended with a harsh vibe shift . Harper Stern, played by Myha’la Herrold (now going by her first name), was fired from her coveted position at the prestigious London-based bank Pierpont & Co., for forging her college transcript. To make matters worse, it was her mentor Eric Tao (Ken Leung), who had the responsibility of giving her the boot. Speaking to Variety for a recent interview , Myha’la shared her excitement over what this means for her character and for the world of “Industry” at-large.

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“We kind of blew this whole place wide open,” Myha’la said. “Now we’ve got Harper outside the bank. Anything is possible!”

Rather than accept failure, Season 3 of “Industry,” which premieres on August 11 in the prime Sunday 9p.m. slot on HBO, sees Harper dig in harder, refusing to let others bring her down. Despite this intensity within the character, co-creator Konrad Kay says Myha’la brings a humanity to her that rounds out Harper’s unique appeal.

“There’s a softness to her, which is actually really good for how at odds it is with Harper’s flintiness,” said Kay. “There’s this hybrid of total self-possession and total vulnerability.”

In relation to how Harper carries her race and gender in a stereotypically white, male world, Myha’la said, “She thinks about anything in terms of its benefit to her. The way she’s perceived in the industry — she uses that to her benefit, because she believes that people are going to underestimate her. Which equal parts angers her and excites her, because she can use it.”

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This speaks to a larger part of how Myha’la embraces Harper not through what she says, but why she says it.

“The finance stuff genuinely goes in one ear and explodes out the back of my brain,” she said. “The thing that’s most important to me to be able to do my job well is to understand how finance people feel about these things. And that, I understand.”

In addition to her character’s own growth, the show as a whole has expanded as well , with a budget that allows it to shoot at luxurious English estates, as well as a yacht off the coast of Mallorca.

“The show looks so huge; it looks so expensive,” Myha’la said. “In Season 1, all of us were like, ‘Is this even gonna go again?’ There were no certainties. So, to come this far with people who you love and respect — it’s just so rewarding to watch it expand in the way that it has.”