“Lightning has struck that I got to play the role of Harper Stern nine months out of school. I have been preparing my whole life to be here. People say, ‘you have this stony exterior, but there’s so much going on underneath,’ and I feel like that’s a good description of my existence. I feel so responsible for myself, my family, and my friends to be strong.”
-Myha’la, episode 385 of Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso
For actor Myha’la, the role of a lifetime arrived less than a year out of college. “Lightning struck,” she said, “and in so many ways I have been preparing my entire life to be here.” In this case ‘here’ is Industry’s Harper Stern, a fiercely ambitious New Yorker who has come to London to join Pierpont, a prestigious financial investment bank.
With the season finale of HBO’s breakout hit approaching, we sat down with Myha’la to discuss all things Industry (4:42): how the evolution of Harper can be charted by her changing hairstyles (8:05), her recent pivot into “ethical investing” (10:45), and the Gen-Z qualities she best embodies (14:04). We also discuss the actor’s first experiences singing and dancing (16:00), her time as front-woman of a Christian Rock band (20:30), and a formative experience at her Catholic high school (23:01).
On the back half, Myha’la reflects on her years at Carnegie Mellon (34:55), her views around “method acting” (39:30), the first day on the set of Industry (42:55), the personal investment she’s made in Harper Stern (48:00), a humbling performance (53:50) never far from mind, and the ‘picture’ she’d like to paint as an artist in the years ahead (56:50).
This conversation was recorded at Spotify Studios and Pushkin Industries. Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at [email protected].
Show-notes:
- Watch Myha’la in Industry exclusively on HBO and Max.
- See her film work in Bodies Bodies Bodies, Leave the World Behind, and Dumb Money.
- Follow her on Instagram.
- For more episodes, hear our talks with Ken Leung, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ava DuVernay, Tom Hanks, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
- Order your Talk Easy mug in cream and navy or our vinyl record with Fran Lebowitz.
Illustrations by Krishna Shenoi.
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