I wish more people asked about the crew. I wish more people asked about the designers, about the head of departments, about the cinematography, because when I think of the show, I think of you and those people. MYHA’LA: Yeah. LAWTEY: They’re entirely intrinsic to the show. Whatever people take in as an end product is built by them. We have the blessing and the curse of being the face of that, but it takes a village. We’ve been extraordinarily fortunate to have some pretty special villages over the last five years. Mirna was one of those. We spoke about the hair at the start. I want to make sure that my hair doesn’t take away from her work. She was very much on top of my hair, but I said, “Is it okay if I just do it before I come in?” Just because I think there are very few opportunities to feel autonomy as an actor.

The sense of control that you have over what you’re doing often feels quite disconnected and sparse. To have the chance to try to claim some of that can make a real difference to your level of confidence in your work. Because ultimately, you’re going to give everything you have and then it will be taken away from you and made into something that is beyond your control. I heard this quote from this interview with Donald Sutherland recently where he was talking about Marlon Brando, who he knew very well, and he said, “I think it must be very trying when you’re that good and that exquisite, you put your body, yourself, your soul, your ideas in the hands of someone else and allow them to take it, cut it into little pieces, and create a character different from the character that you thought you were giving them. And you have to accept that. And if you accept that, then it’s an adult vocation.”

One key point that raises the stakes for the Pierpoint crew is that they’re all very young. (Eric is middle-aged, but let’s give him a pass.) Youth excuses some of their sexual and drug-induced follies. Youth can be blamed for some of their faux pas. Most important, their youth makes Industry a financial bildungsroman. These characters are growing, learning, becoming — their souls are on the line.

(The makeup artist who made Marisa Abela look so exhausted and miserable should win an award.) Whereas previous seasons might have found us in the pulsing party scene on the boat, now we’re zeroing in on Yasmin’s haggard, beaten visage. Even the show’s visual quality has darkened, with shots that feel slightly grainy and drab like something seen through tired eyes. It’s as if every frame is reminding us that the bankers are now adults. They have worked at this game for years. Their decisions carry weight, and their unresolved baggage is heavy on their shoulders.

Kenny also offers a foil to someone like Eric. Instead of continuing to feed his demons and climb the ladder that way, Kenny got help and became a nice guy. Now, he has become like Yasmin’s big brother and is the person who makes sure she gets to keep her job by going to bat for her when Eric starts making noise about firing her.