Industry's Marisa Abela And Harry Lawtey On Celebrity Crushes And Being Starstruck By Joaquin Phoenix
Having filmed three action-packed seasons of hit TV show Industry – the third of which airs on the BBC from October 1 – it follows that two of its lead actors, Marisa Abela (ELLE UK's latest digital cover star) and Harry Lawtey, know their co-stars rather well.
During a recent game of Knowing Me Knowing You, the duo proved exactly that as they answered ELLE UK's questions about the show's cast, correctly guessing everything from who has a royal family connection (Kit Harington, naturally) and which co-star doesn't leave the house after 9pm (Myha’la: 'she has cats to look after,' explained Abela), to one another's childhood celebrity crushes.
'Yes it is Gary Lineker,' laughed Abela, after Lawtey answered the question on her behalf. 'And I feel like I've said this just enough times now that it's going to start to get awkward and weird... Sagar [Radia] even got me a Gary Lineker mug for the wrap of season two.'
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Abela did surprise Lawtey, however, by admitting that she once posed naked for life drawing while she was at drama school. 'It wasn't for a class, it was just with friends,' she explained. 'I was in my second year at drama school, I was free, it was a different time... Actually, it's sort of how I started to get together with my now-fiancée [West End actor Jamie Bogyo] so I'd say it went pretty well.'
When not filming Industry, both Abela and Lawtey have worked on a number of impressive projects in the past few years – among which Back To Black, that saw Abela take on the role of the late Amy Winehouse, and Lawtey's recent turn in the hotly anticipated film, Joker: Folie à Deux.
Lawtey opened up about the surreal experience of working alongside such major stars as Joaquin Phoenix: 'You’re in a monologue about how crazy it is, it’s kind of whirring while you’re doing the acting and you have to kind of tell it to shut up a little bit just to get on with the job. The first time I ever set eyes on Joaquin was during the first take [of Joker 2] when he walks into the room, and so that was like that, but to the extreme. I'd never seen him before in person, and the first time I did, it was on a tight close-up of my face.'
Speaking of major stars, the duo bonded over their obsession with Industry colleague Ken Leung – 'an absolute legend of the game,' as Lawtey describes him – as well as The Sopranos, which Leung briefly starred in.
'The Sopranos might be my favourite TV show of all time,' Abela revealed. 'And Sex & The City, and Grace & Frankie, and any season of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,' she continued.
From what they would do if they were king and queen for a day (spoiler: not much), to Lawtey's 'slightly mournful' appearance in a Sam Smith video, watch Marisa Abela and Harry Lawtey's game of Knowing Me, Knowing You at the top of this article.
Series 3 of Industry airs on BBC from October 1.
With thanks to The Londoner Hotel where this interview was filmed.
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