Industry’s Harper Stern, played by the mononymous Myha’la, has been on a monumental journey from the start of the show through to now – and the strap-on scene which kicked off the latest season proves just that.
At the beginning of this instalment of the crazy banking drama, we see Harper powerfully strutting into her office wearing a beautiful grey suit, killer heels, and a vibe that can only be described as slay – it’s a far-cry from her look as a graduate which consisted of a functional backpack and basic office wear.
Not only has her style evolved, but her sex life has too.
If you’ve watched any of Industry, you’ll know that it’s choc-a-block with intense sex scenes between colleagues and clients – and this season is no different.
Talking to Metro, Myha’la reflected on the bedroom encounter where Harper wears a strap-on at the request of Max Minghella, who plays CFO Whitney Halberstram.
Myha’la revealed that her co-star and real-life best friend, Marisa Abela, had an emotional reaction while watching it: ‘It’s actually so funny, Marisa told me the first time she watched that scene that she cried.
‘She was so happy for Harper, I guess? Like in awe of this beautiful, physical representation of Harper’s power.
‘She said it was beautifully shot, which it kind of is.
‘As shocking as it is, it is beautifully shot.’
In the scene, we see Harper from a range of angles, staring at her naked body in the mirror of a dimly lit walk-in wardrobe and taking in this new version of herself.
‘Holding her power in her hand, feeling the weight of it, the gravity of it, and understanding that she could do whatever she wanted with it.
‘It sets us up for the season’, Myha’la says.
When asked if she felt empowered while wearing it, the actor took a pause before admitting: ‘I mean… No. […]
‘I don’t necessarily need to feel like I have a big penis to feel empowered. […]
‘When I got out of the car, and I had my Chanel bag, and I was walking across the street, I felt way more empowered in that scenario.’
‘I felt vulnerable with the dildo on.’
Moving beyond the metaphor, and speaking in more practical terms, Myha’la said: ‘It was so heavy, and the experience of having that weight sort of threw off my centre of gravity.
‘Just experiencing what it feels like to have that weight in that spot, which I never have.’
While it might be startling for some people to watch, Myha’la says she ‘was not surprised’ to see that Mickey Down and Konrad Kay had taken the script in this direction, ‘writing the most audacious and still, so perfect, thing.’
The 29-year-old admitted: ‘I don’t think there’s any place Industry won’t go.’
And this doesn’t scare her: ‘I trust Mickey and Conrad implicitly.
‘They have so much integrity with the way that they write. They don’t shy away from difficult or controversial topics, but they do everything that they do with taste, so there’s probably nothing they could write that I wouldn’t do.
‘Although, I don’t want them to know that I said that, because probably then they’ll be like: “Hmm, what could we write to challenge her?”‘
It’s not just Myha’la the writers have pushed to new levels with their scripting.
Marisa’s character, British socialite Yasmin Kara-Hanani, engaged in consensual urolagnia (being urinated on) in season three with her now-husband Henry Muck, played by Kit Harrington.
And season four sees the Game of Thrones star grapple with a heroin habit and alcohol addiction that painfully threatens to ruin his life, along with his wife’s.
Both Harper and Yasmin have battled through toxic workplaces and messy private lives to reach the positions they hold now. This shared experience can’t help but bond the women, whose relationship is in both parts dysfunctional and deeply meaningful.
Metro asked Myha’la what is realistic about their on-screen relationship: ‘I mean, there’s no contention between Marisa and I.
‘We are best friends, I was a bridesmaid at her wedding.
‘We are very, very close. She does feel like a sister to me.
‘We have had such similar trajectories in our life and career with this show, then moving on to do other projects in between.
‘We got engaged within a week of each other, and there’s no one else in the world who will understand our very unique point of view on things, which is comforting to know that there’s one person in the world who will truly understand the way you feel about something.’
Perhaps this authenticity is what keeps the show going.
For a series centred around finance, it’s the relationships that keep people watching.
They might not be perfect, but as the show, and Myha’la reminds us, nothing is black and white.
Despite the characters’ often morally questionable behaviour, she says: ‘I don’t think that they’re inherently bad people.
‘I think they’re people who have trauma and baggage, and people who make choices.
‘Whether they’re good choices or bad choices is neither here nor there.’
Duality is constantly being explored through the decisions they make in the workplace, to the boundaries they blur in the bedroom.
Importantly, Myha’la says: ‘I don’t judge them’.
Pairing this mentality with the daring storylines from Konrad and Mickey, and impeccable execution from the cast, is what makes HBO’s Industry incomparable to any other show out there, and truly ground-breaking drama.
Industry airs tonight on BBC and is available to watch on iPlayer.
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