[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for Episode 3 of Season 4 of Industry.]

In Season 4 of the HBO series Industry, Harper (Myha’la) and Yasmin (Marisa Abela) excel in finance but their competitive spirits often clash. Harper aims to establish her independence while Yasmin seeks to secure her role alongside her tech entrepreneur husband, Sir Henry Muck (Kit Harington), at Tender. However, the enigmatic co-founder of the new fintech company, Whitney Halberstram (Max Minghella), raises concerns for Harper and her team.

In this exclusive interview with Collider, Kiernan Shipka, who portrays Tender executive assistant Hayley Clay, a character driven by ambition yet shrouded in mystery, shared insights about her character’s complexities, the excitement of filming club scenes, and the interplay between business and pleasure with Yasmin and Henry in episode three. She also discussed how that pivotal scene acts as a catalyst and expressed her enjoyment in being part of Season 4.

Kiernan Shipka Wanted To Know As Much as Possible About Her ‘Industry’ Season 4 Character

“They were very generous with what they told me.”

Collider: At the start of this, how much were you told about what your role would be this season? Did you know everything about Hayley from the beginning? Did they not tell you everything?

KIERNAN SHIPKA: They were very generous with what they told me because I wanted to know, but also because it was important for me to know. The character is quite calculated and builds to these different moments throughout the season, and I just wanted to know where I was going. I didn’t want to feel like I was lost in this material, and I didn’t know what she wanted. Even if I’m not remotely giving it away, for me personally, as an actor, I like to know as much as possible about the character, what they’re thinking, what they’re doing, and all that. So, I read the first four scripts before coming onto it, and then I met with (creators) Mickey [Down] and Konrad [Kay] a lot and would always be posing some kind of question, and they were very kind and would always answer my call.

What most interested you in her, as a character? Were there aspects of her that you were most interested in or excited about exploring?

SHIPKA: Yeah, I think she has way more agency than meets the eye. I would almost venture to say she has full agency, which is interesting because she’s definitely not in a position of power. When you look at Hayley and you look at where she is, you don’t go, “That’s a girl with all the power,” and yet she finds a way to have it. She finds a way to make pretty much everything that happens to her in the season somehow play to her advantage, even stuff that on paper wouldn’t. In the first episode, there’s basically an intruder in her house and this crazy thing happens to her, and we see how she even weaponizes that. It’s a very fun part to play. She’s always playing a game and she’s always playing someone. I feel like I’m playing someone who’s playing someone. It’s nice when the guard comes down occasionally, but I think her preset is to be on and I love that about her. I like layers. I like when there’s more than meets the eye. I like when I’m thinking something and knowing something that the audience doesn’t, and then that pays off. That’s the most fun stuff to dive into for me.

‘Industry’ Takes Their Club Scenes Very Seriously and Even Had a Real DJ

“It was really fun.”

I also love a good character introduction, and this season really kicks off with us being thrown into things with you and Charlie Heaton. What was it like to play all of that with him, especially with her drawing him in on the dance floor? Is it fun to do all that dancing alone in a packed room and then also with him, or is it just weird to shoot because you don’t usually even get to have the music playing?

SHIPKA: We actually had music, which was amazing. It was actually Mickey and Konrad’s friends who were playing the deejays in the booth. Industry takes their club scenes very seriously. It was really fun. I didn’t know Charlie. I hadn’t worked with him before, but we became very fast friends and I couldn’t think of a better person to do that stuff with. It was so fun. I’d never really done a dancing drunk club scene before. It was just a really fun way to be in that moment, letting go of inhibitions. She just wants to let go and be free for a minute, and it’s a really amazing way to get out of your head and into your body. For that reason, it was super fun. And what an honor to open the show. Something about that is unforgettable. When I look back on my life and career, that’s a total highlight.

I love being thrown into something right away with a character that we don’t know yet and just trying to figure out what’s happening and who they are. There’s something so fun about that.

SHIPKA: I agree. I feel like it’s equal parts the most Industry opening ever, where all the things that we love about the show going down, but also at the same time, this is the core of these people. It’s a way of saying, “Hey, this is still Industry, but it’s new and this is a reset.”

The Three-Way in Episode 3 of Season 4 of ‘Industry’ Is Full of Layers and Subtext

​​​​​​​There’s so much that each of those characters are going through in that scene.

In episode three, it’s a bit of an interesting circumstance that your character finds herself in with Yasmin and Henry because it’s not often that you find yourself in a scenario where the wife is seducing you for her husband while also watching everything unfold. What was that dynamic like to navigate?

SHIPKA: It was very interesting because Yasmin is fighting for power during that scene more explicitly than anyone else involved. We come to realize that Hayley has been holding power throughout this entire time—a surprising revelation.This scene is rich with layers and subtext.

…

The show ‘Industry’ airs on HBO and is available for streaming on HBO Max.

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