My media diet: Industry’s Harry Lawtey
Photography by Lee Malone
Capitalist striver and bisexual Robert is a point of fascination in HBO’s finance sleeper hit series. When not on the trading floor, this is what the actor who plays him enjoys…
Culture
Words: Trey Taylor
The HBO finance drama Industry is a veritable sleeper hit. Nobody was tweeting about it after the season premiere, and seemingly everyone was tweeting about it once all the episodes dropped around American Thanksgiving. It spawned an entire week of dedicated discussion in New Yorker writer Kyle Chayka’s newsletter, Dirt. (Complete with proposed Industry merch for obsessives, namely this Rowing Blazers “Finance” hat.)
And perhaps more than the economic trickle-up of interest in the machinations of the London finance world – it’s sort of like Succession from an intern’s point-of-view – viewers watched for the character play: the backhanded cunning of Harper (Myha’la Herrold) and the bisexual fluctuations of Robert, played perfectly by 24-year-old actor Harry Lawtey.
The series has already been renewed for a second season, meaning there is still plenty of time to binge (and it’s best watched in one go). Lawtey has previously appeared in ITV’s Marcella and Netflix’s The Letter to the King. But as Robert, Lawtey falls victim to the nose-powder and booze chugging lifestyle of a high-powered banker at the financial firm Pierpoint. What turns his crank when he’s off the trading floor? We asked – and yes, he loves Succession.
The last article I found myself thinking about was…
My best friend Alex Harvey, who’s an actor and a writer, just got his first article published in The Guardian last week. I was so proud of him. So I’d probably say that.
The last new artist I discovered on Spotify was…
Will Joseph Cook, and his song Be Around Me. It’s this really cool indie-pop track, which isn’t usually my thing. But it’s very catchy.
The last picture I liked on Instagram was…
I think it was one taken of my mate Myha’la Herrold, who plays Harper in Industry. She posted some shots she did for a magazine on Instagram, and she looked amazing.
The last TikTok I sent to a friend was…
I haven’t downloaded TikTok. I’ve done my best to resist that whole thing. It wouldn’t end well.
The last series I binged (or watched a lot of) was…
Succession. I’m massively late to the party, I know. But wow – what an incredible show. They’re really setting the bar.
The last book I stayed awake reading was…
I read Grayson Perry’s Descent of Man last week. It’s a cute little book, but it’s got a lot to say. I think I got through it in two days. I really enjoyed it.
The last new word I learned was…
Ennui. Which I’m reliably told is French for a feeling of boredom or tiredness. Topical for 2020.
The last meme that made me laugh aloud was…
I’m not sure actually. But it’s almost certainly a video of a dog doing something funny. Dog videos are my weakness.
