Marisa Abela in “Industry”
Marisa Abela’s career has taken off with her role as as Yasmin Kara-Hanani in HBO/BBC’s “Industry,” where she co-stars alongside Myha’la as a privileged nepo baby who has to navigate her ambition with personal termoil. That’s pretty much the theme of the entire show, but her character’s love/hate relationship with Myha’la‘s Harper Stern fuels much of the show’s drama. Yasmin is exptremely manipulative and isn’t shy about using her beauty and sex to get what she wants. Yet she’s also often out of her depth in the world of high finance, lacking some of the raw talent we see in her rival Harper. She’s also often an emotional basket case as she deals with her abusive father.
Marisa nails the role of Yasmin with ease. “Industry” is a solid show that gives the cast plenty of oportunities to push the envelope. The storylines sometimes get a bit farfetched, but that’s television of course. The hedonistic world of London finance with all the drugs, sex and backstabbing offers plenty of fodder for dramatic storylines. As the show progresses we’re also introduced to the world of the British aristocracy.
With Yasmin, Marisa has helped to created a character with a magentic personality that also swings into episodes of being an emotional basket case. It’s a fantastic performance, and she earned a BAFTA TV Award for Best Leading Actress in May 2025 for her nuanced work in Season 3.
More Roles
“Black Bag” (2025)
Marisa holds her own in this Steven Soderbergh thriller opposite heavyweights like Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender.
Interviews and Quotes
The Guardian
“Yasmin’s humour is probably where I’m closest to her. She’s not afraid of taking the piss out of herself or other people around her, and she’s quite dry. Thank God I’m not quite as cold-hearted or complicated as she is! And I think I’m able to be slightly more vulnerable.”
The Hollywood Reporter
“Amy Winehouse was a really scary role to take . . . It was such a big film for me, and I wanted so much for it to land well and to come out of it OK. It’s such a sensitive subject, and the emotional care and precision that you have to employ every day [during the press tour]takes a huge amount of stamina.”
The Sunday Times
On “Industry” and Yasmin: “She evolves so much that I feel like I’m playing a different person now to five years ago.” On whether the show is still a gift: “Absolutely! I think that more and more as it goes on. I never get bored of the show. It’s not afraid to do things that might upset the audience.”
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
On playing Amy Winehouse: