What do we need to know about your character in Industry?
Venetia is a new grad on the FX desk, she’s from a younger, perhaps more aware generation and is very vocal about what she wants and what she expects from others. She is also – beneath the surface of her competency- extremely anxious to prove her worth and justify her position. She won’t allow herself to not excel.
We only took a brief glimpse of her in season one. How has she changed now?
I think she’s a lot less hostile and combative. Yasmin advises her to ‘be the change’, and I think this is ultimately how Venetia has ended up at Pierpoint; she’s less disparaging and more determined. However she’s now no longer an idealistic student and very much in the thick of corporate structures that could compromise her moral code.
How did you prepare to bring her to life?
I watched a lot of youtube testimonials from former grads, mainly women, just to get into the mindset of what seemed like a completely alien environment to me. To get even more specific emotional context for the Pierpoint experience, I found rewatching series one extremely helpful too! That was my basis, and then as I received more of the script during filming, I was able to add more and more to my foundation.
What other character do you have the most scenes with? Are they a friend or foe?
That’s probably a tie between Yasmin and Robert. At first, Yasmin is meant to be a mentor to Venetia, but doesn’t react well to her confidence and becomes a bit of a bully. Whereas, with Robert, they become quite close and both are able to show more of a vulnerable side with each other. But over the course of the series, both relationships strain and change quite a bit.
How was your relationship with them on-set and off-screen?
Because we were both on the FX desk I had a lot of time with Marisa (Yasmin), who was immediately so open, welcoming, and very funny. That really made a difference as a relative newcomer to set – especially as the majority of our first scenes were quite bitchy and intense! Although honestly, every single member of the cast was so warm, it was always a joy.
What was the most difficult scene to shoot?
Logistically, Venetia and Roberts walk by the Radcliffe Camera in Oxford. It was one of the longest takes we did while in motion, and we were walking and eating which is also tricky. Also, it was super windy that day and one of the few scenes where I had my hair down so hair and make up would have to come running after each take to patch me up. There was more bobby pin than hair at the end of that day.
Everything is impressive about Industry, the writing, the directing, the acting, the camera work and editing, and the sets. Did you ever get performance anxiety?
Absolutely! It such a big and insanely talented cast, that it was quite daunting as a newcomer, stepping into this huge trading floor. It was definitely nerve-wracking to begin with, I really wanted to do justice to Venetia, and to the -as you say- hugely impressive script. But in the end, everyone was so generous and open, and the script itself was so meticulous, that I managed to feel comfortable and chime with everything relatively quickly.
What’s next for you?
It’s so exciting now Industry S2 is finally out and people are responding so incredibly to it. I’m very much looking forwards to whatever comes next!
Interview and photography by Andrea Vecchiato
Beauty by Maria Asadi