Kiernan Shipka knew her racy scene in ‘Industry’ would get people talking

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Kiernan Shipka rarely considers fan reactions while reading scripts, and she’s been acting for a long time. She began her career at age six on the show “Mad Men,” which was known for its surprising and memorable scenes.

When Myha’la Herrold (who plays Haley) read the script for the intense three-person scene in the fourth season of “Industry,” she immediately anticipated a strong reaction online. “I read it and knew it would cause a stir,” she said with a dry wit while at HBO headquarters one afternoon, then laughed. The episode aired on Sunday.

Kiernan Shipka, now 26, has been performing for audiences her whole life. Many remember her as Sally Draper on “Mad Men,” watching her evolve from a sweet child into a troubled teenager who understood her father’s flaws. She then starred as Sabrina in Netflix’s “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.” But even Shipka feels like her current role in the popular HBO series marks a significant new chapter in her career.

She admits she didn’t start last year specifically looking for more mature roles, but she realized that’s what she wanted. She felt ready to portray characters that matched how she was experiencing her mid-twenties – feeling like a fully-fledged adult navigating the world, and wanting to reflect that in her work.

I’m really hooked by Kiernan Shipka’s character, Haley. After three episodes, she’s still a total mystery, and that’s what makes her so compelling to watch. She works for Whitney, the guy behind this app called Tender – it’s trying to become a full-on digital bank, but it started out handling payments for… let’s just say adult content. Haley seems to be Whitney’s assistant, basically managing his life – booking travel, cabs, and I get the feeling there’s a lot more going on behind the scenes with her than meets the eye.

Haley is clever and confident, particularly when it comes to intimacy. An opportunity arises when Yasmin invites her into her bedroom while they’re at a castle in Wales (though the show portrays it as Austria) for a networking event with a powerful banker. Yasmin subtly encourages Haley to have an encounter with her husband, Henry Muck, the CEO of Tender, and then participates herself. (This means actresses Kiernan Shipka and Kit Harington share an intimate scene, despite never having met while working on their previous shows.) Like many scenes in “Industry,” this moment is designed to be provocative, but it’s about more than just sexual attraction. As the two women interact, it becomes clear they’re engaged in a power play, though Haley’s motivations and advantages remain unclear.

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While taking a break from filming the fourth season of the intense HBO series, the actor discussed Yasmin’s conflict with Harper, describing the character as someone who builds strong emotional walls and revealing more about her motivations.

Shipka believes the character understands the impact sex can have. Having been through a similar experience herself, she anticipates the encounter will likely benefit her, regardless of the outcome.

Haley is a unique character for the creators of “Industry,” Konrad Kay and Mickey Down. She stands out from the other characters because she doesn’t use a lot of complicated financial language. They specifically wanted to cast an American actress, and they were particularly excited about the possibility of someone who had been on “Mad Men,” as they are big admirers of that show.

In the show “Industry,” Haley, played by Shipka, is involved in a steamy scene with Yasmin (Marisa Abela) and Henry (Kit Harington). Shipka believes her character understands the impact of sexual connection. (Justin Jun Lee/For The Times)

It felt fitting that Don Draper’s daughter was involved in all of this chaos,” Down explains. “It’s really interesting to cast someone you wouldn’t normally see in a show like ours and then challenge them with a difficult storyline.

During a Zoom meeting, Shipka acted out the role of Haley, portraying her as heavily intoxicated during a night at a club. Shipka used a very rough and strained voice, which led Down to wonder if she was fully immersing herself in the character—using the ‘Method’ acting technique.

It all happened by chance. The meeting took place during a busy awards season, and Shipka had been out a lot, so she’d lost her voice. (She had recently been in the show “The Last Showgirl” with Pamela Anderson.) “I don’t normally sound like this,” she says, laughing. “I joined the Zoom call and sounded like I’d been up all night!”

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Mickey Down and Konrad Kay used to worry that their HBO show was slow-paced, gloomy, and took itself too seriously. Now, looking back on Season 3, they’ve pinpointed the moments that changed everything and shaped the season into what it became.

The role was a perfect fit for Kiernan Shipka. As the season progressed, the character of Haley became more defined, giving Shipka room to add depth and nuance to her performance. Shipka was particularly drawn to Haley’s elusive nature – she appears powerless, but consistently manages to exert influence and control.

Shipka was fascinated by people who take charge of their circumstances and use every available resource to succeed, even if it means being fiercely determined and seeing life as a challenge. She found this approach very different from her own, and that’s what drew her to it.

Shipka approaches life with a visible joy, even during our interview in a rather plain office. She’s comfortably dressed in a stylish black and white outfit, and she makes our conversation feel relaxed and friendly. Seeing her the next evening at the premiere party for “Industry,” it’s clear she truly shines in a more lively and celebratory setting.

Playing Sally Draper on “Mad Men” felt like a great learning experience, and after the show ended, Kiernan Shipka began to develop her own approach to acting. She experimented with different coaching styles and methods for building her characters’ histories. As she grew older, she occasionally wondered if she wanted to continue acting professionally, but she says those doubts never lasted very long – usually only about five minutes.

She recently spoke with her mother about how different her life might be if she hadn’t landed the role on “Mad Men.” Thinking about it made her feel scared and a little down, because she truly believes acting is her calling and she’s not sure how she would have discovered that path if not for the show’s early success.

But Shipka is also not nostalgic for the past.

She believes that personal growth and experiences significantly impact one’s work. She found that both positive and negative life events fueled her creativity and ultimately made her work stronger, simply by allowing herself to fully live and experience life.

Before the pandemic hit, she was constantly working on “Sabrina,” finishing the show just before lockdowns began. Afterward, she connected with a wonderful group of friends. She enjoyed going out, experienced heartbreak, and had the kinds of real-life moments that inspired her work. As she puts it, she found herself in many amusing situations, and also took the time for personal growth – going to therapy and reading self-help books to figure out who she was.

While filming “Industry” in Wales, Shipka had opportunities to return home during breaks. However, she chose to spend her time in London, having what she calls a “U.K. Girl Summer,” which included attending the Glastonbury music festival where she enjoyed performances by Father John Misty and Charli XCX.

“I felt like I got to live in the U.K., and there was something so fun about that,” she says.

According to Down, Shipka was an incredibly kind and enthusiastic person, always willing to try new things.

He recalls a time when she essentially played a background role, appearing in shots while working at Whitney’s desk and pretending to type. She spent the entire day this way without making a single complaint.

The actress perfectly captured all sides of Haley’s personality, from her innocence to her excitement, and delivered a particularly powerful performance in a challenging sex scene. According to Kay, it was a very honest and vulnerable moment for the actress, and she brought a lot of her own emotions to the role. Both Kay and Mickey were very proud of the scene, believing it was one of the best they’ve filmed in the four seasons of ‘Industry.’

For Shipka, it was her true indoctrination into this wild world.

“I felt like I was really in the show by that point,” she says. “I was super down.”

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2026-01-26 06:32