It’s been one of the most talked about shows in the US since it’s premiere on HBO in December 2020 and now Industry is hitting Aussie shores via Australian streaming service BINGE.
The story follows a group of young grads competing for a limited number of permanent positions at a leading international bank in London and is fuelled by ambition, youth, romance and drugs.
Examining issues of gender, race, class, and privilege in the workplace, Industry tells of impressionable young minds who begin to forge their identities within the pressure cooker environment of a trading floor, where meritocracy is promised but hierarchy is king.
Starring Myha’la Herrold (The Tattooed Heart) as Harper Stern, a Black American who struggles to find her place in the fictional London bank Pierpoint & Co, the series gives an insider’s view of the black box of “high finance” through the eyes of an outsider.
The core cast of young talent including Marisa Abela (Cobra), Harry Lawtey (City of Tiny Lights), David Jonsson (Deep State) and Nabhaan Rizwan (Mogul Mowgli) play “the graduates”, while Conor MacNeill (Artemis Fowl), Freya Mavor (Skins), Will Tudor (Game of Thrones) and Ken Leung (High Maintenance) are the high-powered and often flawed, “management”.
During an interview with Complex, Herrold revealed that the role of Harper was a collaborative effort.
“One of the first people I spoke to was a woman of colour and consultant from the industry that the show brought on,” she said. “She provided insight into the technical parts, but also shared her personal story and knowledge.”
Speaking to the woman gave Herrold an insight into what her character would be like “in five years.”
“While I wasn’t as well-versed going in with investment banking, I did relate to Harper being a newbie in the workplace,” she said.
For the 24-year-old, she knew what it “felt like to be a Black woman” training in a special skill and then entering the world, trying to make it.
“I have to be 10 times better than everybody in the room to get noticed,” she said. “I have to look like I know what I’m doing before I get there. You can’t see any cracks in this liner. I was already living this. So, when it came to Harper’s experiences, I like, “Yeah. I know this.” It might be acting, but I know exactly what she’s going through.”