"Yasmin's humour is probably where I’m closest to her": Marisa Abela compares herself with her Industry character 

By now, fans of Industry know the show doesn’t hold back. The HBO/BBC drama throws us into the high-stakes world of London finance, where a group of young grads fight tooth and nail for a shot at success at the elite investment bank Pierpoint & Co. It’s intense, often uncomfortable, and deeply human. And right in the middle of all that chaos is Yasmin Kara-Hanani, brought to life with sharp emotional detail by Marisa Abela.

The show didn’t explode overnight. It’s the kind of series that grows on people, pulling viewers in with its brutally honest storytelling and flawed, fascinating characters. Yasmin is one of the most layered, ambitious, entitled, and emotionally tangled. And through it all, Abela makes her feel achingly real.

Pierpoint isn’t just numbers, it’s survival

Created by former investment bankers Mickey Down and Konrad Kay, Industry first hit screens in 2020. It offers a raw, unfiltered look into the finance world, one that rarely makes space for softness or mistakes. Here, the pressure’s always on, and vulnerability can cost you everything.

Yasmin starts as a bit of an enigma, polished, privileged, clearly used to getting her way. But the more time we spend with her, the more cracks begin to show. She’s smart, yes. But also impulsive. Determined, yet deeply unsure of herself. She’s the kind of character you want to root for and yell at, sometimes in the same scene. And that’s exactly what makes her work.

Marisa Abela: a rising star who doesn’t hold back

Before the Industry, Marisa Abela wasn’t exactly a household name. Born in Brighton in 1996, she came into the role of Yasmin with talent to burn and something to prove. It didn’t take long. Her performance quickly earned her a BAFTA Rising Star nomination and a flurry of attention from critics and casting directors alike.

Outside of Industry, she’s taken on even bigger challenges, most recently, playing Amy Winehouse in the biopic Back to Black. That role demanded far more than mimicry. It meant digging into heartbreak, addiction, fame, and everything in between. It was raw and vulnerable and pushed her in ways she’s admitted were emotionally exhausting, but necessary.

In an interview with The Guardian, Abela opened up about how she sees herself in Yasmin.

“Yasmin’s humour is probably where I’m closest to her,”

She shared.

“It’s quite dry, and I like people who don’t take themselves too seriously.”

But she was quick to add:

“I hope I’m not as cold or as complicated as her. I think I’m probably a little bit more vulnerable.”

Something is refreshing about that kind of honesty, not just as an actor, but as a person. Abela doesn’t just play emotionally complex roles. She understands them, even when they’re messy.

More content, less patience, and the cost of that imbalance

While talking with The Guardian, Abela also didn’t hold back when asked about the current state of television. There’s no shortage of content, she pointed out, but there’s a serious lack of long-term support.

“There’s too much TV now,”

She said,

“Shows are put out into the world and expected to fly without any real support, and if they don’t take off immediately, they’re cut.”

It’s a fair criticism. In the race to release new content, many great shows don’t get the time or space to find their audience. It’s a system that favors instant hits over stories that need time to breathe, and in Abela’s eyes, that’s a loss for both creators and viewers.

A slow burn with staying power

Industry didn’t come out of the gate as a ratings juggernaut, but it found its rhythm. By the third season, viewership had jumped by 60%, with over 300,000 people tuning in for the premiere. Critics took notice too, praising the show’s refusal to simplify its characters or deliver tidy resolutions. This isn’t a show that wraps things up with a bow, and that’s exactly why people keep watching.

Yasmin, in particular, has become a focal point. She isn’t easy to like, and that’s the point. She’s searching, stumbling, sometimes hurting others in the process, but always trying to understand herself. And Abela makes sure that, even in her worst moments, Yasmin remains human.

What’s next?

With season four on the horizon, there’s no telling what kind of chaos Pierpoint has in store. Yasmin will likely keep toeing the line between control and collapse, and honestly, that’s what makes her so compelling.

As for Abela, her trajectory shows no signs of slowing down. Whether she’s portraying a tormented jazz icon or navigating the emotional minefield of corporate ambition, she brings something rare: honesty without ego, vulnerability without apology.

She’s not just a performer. She’s a storyteller, one who knows how to turn discomfort into something that resonates.