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Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Industry' star Marisa Abela on her breakout Season 3: ‘It answers many questions about why Yasmin is the way she is'
The acclaimed ensemble cast of HBO's cult finance drama Industry got upgraded with Season 3 thanks to the additions of Emmy nominees Kit Harington and Sarah Goldberg in key roles. However, the show's original cast continued to shine surprisingly and unexpectedly, including Season 3 breakout Marisa Abela. The actress, who recently won Best Drama Actress at the BAFTA TV and Craft Awards for her performance, plays Yasmin Kara-Hanani on Industry, a nepo baby introduced in Season 1 as someone who used her privilege to move through life without consequences. However, in Season 3, the fallacy of that fortune is laid bare, and the character's key relationships — including with her father, Charles (Adam Levy); her best friend, Harper (Myha'la); and the man she truly loves, Robert (Harry Lawtey) — are dissected across eight emotional episodes. More from GoldDerby Our 'SNL' hosting wish list includes Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep, and 8 more A-list celebrities 'Buena Vista Social Club' director Saheem Ali and writer Marco Ramirez on creating 'a joyful experience' out of the 'beautiful' Cuban record 'Final Destination: Bloodlines' eyes record-breaking $50 million opening as the Weeknd and Jenna Ortega fizzle in 'Hurry Up Tomorrow' Ahead, Abela, who stole scenes in Steven Soderbergh's recent thriller Black Bag opposite Oscar winner Cate Blanchett and Oscar nominee Michael Fassbender, talks to Gold Derby about her acclaimed performance. In Season 3, Yasmin is the center of the narrative in a way that she hadn't been previously. So, when you got that material from creators Mickey Down and Konrad Kay, how gratifying was that for you? Getting to know Yasmin more was exciting, but specifically, how it was done this season excited me most. We were sent the episodes in the same way that you see them. So, once I started reading Episodes 1 and 2, I needed to speak to Mickey and Konrad about what she was hiding or what had happened on that boat. Because I didn't know what it was. What's great about Season 3 for Yasmin is that it answers many questions about why Yasmin is the way she is. We've known that Yasmin is a woman with immense privilege, monetarily. But she is not privileged regarding the love she's been afforded or the safety in her relationships, especially with her father. So I think that being able to explore the side of her relationships that are cold and hard and difficult in relationships, blows Yas wide open into what it is that we're willing to understand about the aspects and decisions that she then makes in Episodes 7 and 8 with regard Henry (Kit Harington) and Robert (Harry Lawtey), make more sense to us. Are the things we learn about Yas and the abusive relationship she has with her father stuff you had assumed about the character? I wasn't exactly sure, but from Season 1, I was conversing with Mickey and Konrad about what it was she was going through with her relationships to men, whether that was Robert or Kenny, her boss. We discussed that Yas is a woman who sees herself through the male gaze; that's the validation she's most looking for. And that has to come from her relationship with her father. We would talk about the fact that her father probably made her aware of her body. He was perhaps the first person to make her aware. And I wasn't sure if that was just her dad telling her, 'You should probably think about getting a bra.' I didn't know what that specifically looked like. But I knew that was why she was the way she was with men. So it crystallized that when we met him in Season 2, he was predatory in one way or another. And then obviously, in Season 3, it's overt and there are fewer questions. The scenes between you and Adam Levy, who plays Charles, especially on the yacht, are so upsetting and violent. He throws wine in Yasmin's face. How do you prepare for those kinds of fraught sequences? Working with him in Season 2 was incredibly useful. The fact that we already have a foundation of a relationship as characters and actors helps. We were extremely trusting of one another, and I think you need that as actors in a space without trust and safety for the characters. It's beneficial to have it with your sort of fellow actor. But I think the wine throw is the most horrible thing. He's such a child, and Yasmin's not safe on that boat. And I think what Mickey and Konrad have done well with all that boat stuff makes him somewhat … I don't want to say he's a villain, because I don't think that's what it is. I don't think what they're doing is saying, 'We completely understand why Yasmine lets her father kind of drown.' Because I don't think you necessarily know where it's going, but you start to feel like this is not good and will not end well for one of them. They do a really good job of making it so that there's nowhere to come back from in those arguments, so that by the time he does jump, we think as an audience can't imagine how Yasmin will find it in herself right now to save her father after everything that's just happened. When he jumps and Yasmin freezes, it feels like something is happening in real-time for you as an actor. Can you talk about how you approached that part of your performance? As an actor, I think about things and work to play what my character wants, and how she will get it. How is she going to play the other people around her to get what it is that she wants from them? So, I think that's the hardest thing when you're playing a character who doesn't know what she wants right now, because it can lack specifics. So that was one of the times when I didn't want to rehearse. But, when he jumps and she tells Harper that he's jumped, those were two times where I was really like, I don't know what's gonna happen. Let's see. You mentioned Harper. You and Myha'la have been so great together; this season, Yasmin and Harper have their biggest confrontation yet. How did you think about that moment and building to that part of their relationship? It's another incredibly emotionally charged scene. Yasmin is outraged when Harper comes in, and Harper is not. And I think that's an excellent dramatic situation. Yasmin knows she's about to argue with Harper, and Harper doesn't know. So you've got two people in a very different situation walking into the room, and she lays it out for Harper precisely. She doesn't say, 'I'm furious at you because of this.' When she first comes in, she asks, 'Why did you do that on the boat? Why did I think you loved me?' If Harper has no idea what is coming, there is so much anger there, but it's so much hurt for Yasmin and for Harper, too. I think it was a great scene. It was so fun to do. I love working with Myha'la. I think she's a fantastic actress, and Yasmin and Harper know each other so well now that they know what buttons to push, to hurt one another. Myha'la and I know each other so well now as actors. So I know, Yasmin might shout, and Harper might not, but how they fight is different. So, I think it's a great scene. It was really well written and fun to play. The characters don't reconnect until the season finale, when Yasmin invites Harper to her wedding and they get on the phone together. This is a fresh start in some ways for Yasmin, marrying Henry and getting the brass ring. What do you think Yas is trying to get out of her relationship with Harper now? Yasmin is trying to reinvent herself completely right now. She has decided to be like the Lady of the Manor, and that's it. And like anyone from her old life who doesn't see her that way, she doesn't want to know. We've seen Yasmin build up an intense amount of armor from Season 1. I mean, she's incredibly vulnerable in Season 1. And you know, the end of Episode 8, where she's confronted with some understanding from one of the women Charles exploited, she walks out of the room and says, 'Get rid of her.' She's a very hard woman now, and I think she's built up all of these walls. Anyone left inside those walls feels vulnerable because everyone new in her life only sees the facade she created for herself. But now and then, it's comforting to know that someone knows you, the real you, and Harper is that person for Yasmin. She sees her, she knows who she is. They're kind of like sisters, in a way. I think it's very good that they both slapped each other, because I think in a way, it made it even easier to come back to a relationship. If Yasmin had smacked Harper and then Harper had gotten up and walked away, it would have been a different phone call. But there's safety in there, both safety and an intense amount of vulnerability, and the fact that Harper sees Yasmin, The third season also concludes Yasmin's relationship with Robert, a beautiful and heartbreaking end to their story. How did you and Harry approach those scenes in the finale? If Season 3 had been Season 1, I don't think anyone would have cared that much about their relationship. But the arc of all three seasons makes the kind of rise and fall of that relationship in Season 3 so heartbreaking. And you can't help but be influenced as an actor by your history with these characters. We don't have to do much anymore, because Yasmin and Robert exist. They have a relationship and want to be loved by the other. I think it's such a pure thing. And I think it's one of the only pure things Yasmin has left in the show — if she could accept that love from Robert and work together. She might be happy, but it's just too uncertain for her. But I think that moment, then when she does decide at the dinner table, when Henry (Kit Harington) announces that they're engaged, there was just nothing that needed to be said. We just did all the work over three seasons. So it was heartbreaking to watch, even for me, because they also put that montage in the three seasons of Yas and Robert. And it was sad. I felt for Yasmin and Robert in that moment. What are your hopes for Yasmin as you head into Season 4? They're so imaginative, and the places they go are beyond what I would expect, so I have no idea what's gonna happen. But, I mean, I'm really excited to see it as an actor. I'm always curious to see how they'll weave our storylines together. What does Yasmin and Harper's relationship look like now? But I'm also excited to see what Yasmin's married life in Somerset looks like. Industry streams on Max. Best of GoldDerby How Natasha Rothwell helped Belinda get her groove back in 'The White Lotus' Season 3 Making of 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' panel: Bringing the Balrog to life was 'like doing a slight of hand card trick' TV Animation roundtable panel: '#1 Happy Family USA,' 'Secret Level,' and 'Arcane' Click here to read the full article.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
BAFTA Chief Addresses British TV Crisis, Celebrates Creative Strength of Current Landscape: ‘There's No Silver Bullet'
Jane Millichip, CEO of BAFTA, has expressed confidence in the resilience of British television despite recent industry challenges, describing the creative and craft quality of U.K. TV as being at 'the highest it's ever been.' Speaking after the announcement of the BAFTA TV and Craft nominations, which saw Netflix's 'Baby Reindeer' leading with eight nods, Millichip addressed concerns about what some have labeled a crisis in British television production, especially in the scripted space. More from Variety 'Baby Reindeer' Dominates BAFTA TV and Craft Awards Nominations With Eight Nods Alan Cumming Set to Host 2025 BAFTA Television Awards 'Emmerdale' Removed From BAFTA TV Awards Soap Category After Writer Admits to Assault 'Notwithstanding the fact that we've had a tough market for the last year or so, this year's nominees show that creatively and craft wise, British TV is in rude health,' Millichip told Variety. 'The quality of the nominations is extraordinary, and a lot of brilliant TV didn't get nominated. We have 134 nominated programs out of 900 entries.' The BAFTA TV Awards nominations saw 'Baby Reindeer' dominate, while ITV's 'Mr. Bates vs. the Post Office,' Disney+'s Jilly Cooper adaptation 'Rivals,' and Apple TV+'s 'Slow Horses' tied for second place with six nominations each. Disney+ also earned four nominations for its IRA drama 'Say Nothing.' Millichip pointed to recent industry data suggesting potential improvement in the production landscape 'that seems to be showing green shoots of recovery. About a third of independent producers in the U.K. are seeing a little bit of an upside return to better commissioning landscape.' The BAFTA chief underscored the importance of maintaining control of the U.K.'s production value chain while acknowledging the benefits of international investment. 'I'm the first person to celebrate the fact that U.S. studios have been coming to the U.K. to produce both film and TV for many years now, and that's been brilliant,' she noted. 'What we need to ensure, however, is that we don't lose control of the value chain in the U.K.' Millichip highlighted the need for a multi-faceted approach to strengthening domestic production, including evaluating proposals related to tax credits, levies, and support for domestic freelancers. 'There's no silver bullet to this,' she said. 'The most important thing is to ensure that we have a strong domestic sector, and that we retain more of the IP value in our own productions.' She added that a robust domestic sector provides resilience when international investment fluctuates: 'When you have a strong domestic sector, if America has to pull the belt in for some reason, we have more resilience to continue with our own domestic sector. And that's really important for domestic storytelling, British storytelling as well.' Discussing the digital landscape, Millichip celebrated the success of streaming shows like Netflix's 'Adolescence,' which recently became the first streaming program to top the British weekly television chart. She praised the broad adoption of public service broadcasting values across the industry. 'I'm delighted to see fantastically British stories being told, not just across the U.K. PSBs, but also across the streamers,' she said, citing examples including 'Say Nothing' and 'Toxic Town,' both nominated at this year's BAFTAs. Millichip specifically praised 'Mr. Bates vs. the Post Office,' noting: 'The writers, the producers, ITV, took huge risks from that show in the knowledge that it probably wouldn't sell dramatically across the world. It is a story of fantastic human endeavor, and it's a story about justice, and that has absolute, universal appeal.' On the introduction of new children's categories to the BAFTA awards, Millichip explained this was part of an effort to better support a sector facing funding challenges. 'We want to support the children's sector, and we know it's been quite difficult for a few years now to fund children's programming,' she said. 'It's really important to us that we see it as a vital part of the TV landscape.' BAFTA has created scripted and non-scripted categories and a craft team category in the TV craft awards for children's programming. 'For us, it was really about putting children's TV on the main stage, metaphorically and literally,' Millichip concluded. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week The Best Celebrity Memoirs to Read This Year: From Chelsea Handler to Anthony Hopkins Oscars 2026: First Blind Predictions Including Timothée Chalamet, Emma Stone, 'Wicked: For Good' and More
