Industry’s Myha’la on Freud, Fan Service, and Finance Bros

THURSDAY 8:23 PM JANUARY 29, 2026 BROOKLYN

After playing the lead in HBO’s horniest finance drama for the last six years, Myha’la wants to make it very clear that, despite what you may think, Harper Stern is not a psychopath. And she is, in fact, quite good at her job. Last Thursday night, HBO hosted a special screening of the fourth episode of Industry’s fourth season, convening an exclusive cohort of the show’s most dedicated fans in a celebration of arcane financial jargon and workplace obscenity. Afterwards, they indulged guests in bumps of caviar while lines around the block formed to get into the hottest party in New York. A collaboration between the network and Boiler Room, the freezing warehouse soon turned into a cesspool of sweat as Industry fans and raving vets filed into the space to enjoy beats by Justin Strauss, Kassie Krut, Chicken, and The Dare. But before too much debauchery unfolded, I snuck away with Myha’la for a quick cig outside, where she sounded off on Industry hot takes, her character’s potentially homoerotic journey, and the British habits she’s adopted as her own after years of filming in the UK. Oh, she also put those mean girl allegations to bed.

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ARY RUSSELL: So where are we right now?

MYHA’LA: We are at the Boiler Room in Bushwick.

RUSSELL: It’s pretty ironic that we’re at the Boiler Room and it’s fucking freezing.

MYHA’LA: I know. I wish it was boiling.

RUSSELL: Can you walk me through your outfit a little bit?

MYHA’LA: Yeah. I’ve got some oversized Acne jeans, these sort of dirty ones. And then I have this Prada stole and a matching long coat and some Jimmy Choo pumps.

RUSSELL: In terms of Harper’s fashion, it’s very corporate—grays, cool tones. Have you taken any fashion inspiration from her or do you like to keep yourself separate from the character?

MYHA’LA: I’m not doing it on purpose, but I did take a bunch of Harper’s clothes home with me and I can’t wear any of them because it makes me feel like Harper and I don’t want to feel like Harper in real life. [Laughs] I put on a blazer and I suddenly know about finance. Those are meant for her, not for me. But I do wear the shoes.

RUSSELL: The shoes are fierce, you have to take them. It gives you that girlboss power walk. 

MYHA’LA: I was not going to give up the YSL, there’s no way.

RUSSELL: So one thing that really drives Harper is the trauma that she’s faced as a character and that manifests as her need for power. What do you think drives Harper more: her mommy issues or her sibling issues?

MYHA’LA: Oh, gosh. I think she could probably trace her sibling issues back to her mommy issues. It’s always Freud, isn’t it?

RUSSELL: It’s always Freud. He’s always throwing up a fist from his grave like, “Gotcha, Bitch.”

MYHA’LA: “I told you and I was right.”

RUSSELL: We sort of got the reveal about her relationship with her brother. Do you think we’ll get any sort of closure on what that issue is with her mom at all throughout the show?

MYHA’LA: I don’t know that Industry does “closure.” I feel like the only semblance of closure or the closest thing to closure Industry has ever given us was the finale of season three. But she doesn’t really do “tied up in a bow.” That’s kind of the nature of the show.

RUSSELL: I was really excited to talk to you because I don’t know if you’ve seen on Twitter that video of you in the bathroom with all of your cast members. I wanted to ask you to address the mean girl allegations. [Laughs]

MYHA’LA: Oh, gosh.

RUSSELL: I know you’re not mean but for the record…

MYHA’LA: Actually, it was funny. I did see that tweet and I sent it in our group chat and I was like, “Guys, what do we do?” And they were like, “We have to release a joint statement.” So here’s what actually happened: we were in that bathroom trying to take a video of ourselves and this very nice girl was watching us struggle and was like, “Would you like me to take that for you?” And because we were instantly embarrassed about what was happening, we said no, but then we were laughing because we were caught. That girl also laughed with us.

RUSSELL: Okay.

MYHA’LA: Nobody wanted to take a picture with us. We were being embarrassing.

RUSSELL: Twitter will see something relatively innocent and automatically go for the worst possible scenario ever. It’s like, “The cast of Industry curb stomped this poor, defenseless young girl in the bathroom.”

MYHA’LA: I definitely abuse myself when I look at Twitter because I know that the show has a big presence there and I want to know what the audience thinks, but curiosity is killing this cat in the sense that I do get my feelings hurt often.

RUSSELL: What’s the hottest take you’ve seen on there that you agree with? Or one that made you go, “What the fuck? That’s not at all what was going on.”

MYHA’LA: I mean, I don’t know if this is a hot take, but people like to call Harper a psychopath. She just isn’t. She just simply is not.

RUSSELL: She’s just driven.

MYHA’LA: Hurt people hurt people. And if you think she’s a bad person, you’re ignoring her entire relationship with Yasmin, some core moments, and also maybe you just don’t like to see a girl bossing. It intimidates people that a woman is doing things, and so they say she’s a bad woman.

RUSSELL: Well, when I see men in real life or men on TV shows that have trauma or mommy issues and they act poorly, they get babied. 

MYHA’LA: Yeah…

RUSSELL: And then when women do it, they’re kind of held to a different standard, especially Black women.

MYHA’LA: Also, the idea that she’s not good at finance? She wouldn’t have come this far.

RUSSELL: Now, Yasmin…

MYHA’LA: Harper’s definitely risky, but she’s obviously good enough to get people to give her money.

RUSSELL: I feel like a part of what drives Harper is she is an outsider, both as an American and also because she’s a Black woman. Do you think she would have been as driven had she been born into the same circumstances as someone like Yasmin?

MYHA’LA: This is tough because in England, the social hierarchy is mostly based on class, which has to do with money, but I am of the opinion that class is intrinsically linked to race.

RUSSELL: Yeah.

MYHA’LA: And I think we see what happens to characters like Gus, who does come from money and has money.

RUSSELL: RIP, king.

MYHA’LA: Yeah, we love him. Shout out Gus. But he still gets the short end of the stick often enough. So I think she would be just as driven, but it would be like a double thing of her trying to prove why she’s rich. You know what I mean?

RUSSELL: Mm-hmm. And in the first episode where Harper realizes that she was used as a mascot, I thought that was really interesting because Industry is reflecting this point in time politically where it’s the end of wokeness, where people are coming out like guns blazing like, “I no longer feel the need to be PC.” Do you feel like it’s an accurate reflection?

MYHA’LA: Yeah. 100%. All the diversity initiatives are gone. They really said homicide to those.

RUSSELL: I feel like I’ve been in situations where it’s this conflict of like, “I am being used as a mascot, but is it right for me to use it to my advantage?”

MYHA’LA: It’s hard, though. I try not to judge the way the oppressed people choose to deal with their oppression. You’re oppressed, so you do what you gotta do. It’s survival. Even if it’s not a choice I would make, who am I to judge?

RUSSELL: Who do you think is more insufferable to deal with, finance guys or guys who are “creatives”?

MYHA’LA: Guys.

RUSSELL: Just guys, period. Amazing answer.

MYHA’LA: [Laughs]

RUSSELL: You spend a lot of time in the UK filming and also doing press. What aspects of British culture do you think you’ve embraced? And what aspects are you just like, “I’m not going to get this”?

MYHA’LA: I feel like my sense of humor is quite aligned with my good sis, the Brits. I love dry cleverness. I also love a good roast. All my friends and family, bless them, get roasted within an inch of their life because that’s just how I show my affection. 

RUSSELL: Can we really quickly talk about homoeroticism?

MYHA’LA: Of course.

RUSSELL: It’s my favorite.

MYHA’LA: You’ve been waiting for this.

RUSSELL: I’m so excited for homoeroticism. I’m not going to ask your opinion on whether there is homoeroticism because the writing’s on the wall. But do you think it would be better for the Industry writers to eventually pay off that homoerotic tension between Harper and Yasmin, or do you think it’s better left unsaid?

MYHA’LA: I don’t know what’s better or worse. One thing I know about Mickey [Down] and Konrad [Kay] is they don’t do fan service. They’re not like, “Oh, let’s put this in because we think the fans will like it.” They want to do justice to the stories.

RUSSELL: And what’s realistic. 

MYHA’LA: And what lives in the world of Industry.

RUSSELL: Yeah.

MYHA’LA: But also, I don’t know. What’s more exciting? What’s more rousing? Edging you with the possibility and letting your mind run wild? Or just giving it to you and then it’s over?

RUSSELL: Edging is always the answer. It’s the most beautiful, sweet torture. [Laughs] My final question: after the screening, we’re about to go to this party. If I look around, what am I going to see you doing?

MYHA’LA: Dancing.

RUSSELL: What’s your go-to dance move?

MYHA’LA: I’ll hit a two-step for real. Or like, a bounce. Sometimes I feel like I go into a flow state. It’s been a long time since I’ve been outside. Let me tell you this: I am aged, honey, but in a great way. I will go into a flow state when the music is really good and I know that it’s going to be good. I’ll just hit my little bouncy thing and let the euphoria run through me.

RUSSELL: Now if Harper was at this party, what would she be doing?

MYHA’LA: Drugs, probably.

RUSSELL: Poppers.

MYHA’LA: Poppers. [Laughs] She’d be shy. Then she’d probably have a martini. Then she’d probably drink brown liquor, then she’d do a stripe in the toilet, then come out and be up. She’ll be sweating and she’ll probably still have her clothes on from work.

RUSSELL: And then she’s going to feel the rush.

MYHA’LA: She will. Oh my god. I hope they play Troye Sivan.