It’s easy to spot a Myha’la character. They are forceful, driven, a little gruff. They are, in the 29-year-old actor’s own words, “unabashedly after [their] own success.” Whether it’s the adrenaline- and sex-fueled Harper Stern in the cult finance drama Industry, or in her latest turn as Linda Page, an unknown journalist with everything to prove, in Gus Van Sant’s new crime thriller Dead Man’s Wire, a Myha’la character captivates by skirting the knife’s edge between ego-trip and blind conviction.
This week, Myha’la will be everywhere: back on our home screens when Industry season four premieres on Sunday night, and in theaters when Van Sant’s latest makes its debut. The former will see her dig even deeper into London’s banking underworld, while the latter—which chronicles a hostage standoff gone awry in 1970s Indianapolis and co-stars Bill Skarsgård, will see the San Jose, California native venture into new terrain. “I haven’t done anything so evocative of a time before,” she says of her character, who finagles privileged access to the hostage fiasco, over Zoom. “Bell bottoms, platforms, a fro, a dialect…”
To mark the actor’s first foray into period performance, Myha’la sat down with CULTURED for a chat about Farrah Fawcett blowouts, fighting with husbands, and staying hydrated.
What was it about Linda, your character in the film, that you resonated with most?
She is unabashedly after her own success. She sees an opportunity to make a name for herself, and she seizes it. She wants to be on the news, she wants to do some—her own words—”real reporting,” and she ends up getting the chance. She holds really tightly, against her boss’s wishes, to being the prime source of the action that unfolds in the film, which I really appreciate. She goes out of her way to make her own luck.
How did you make her your own?
When I first got the script, Linda was a much smaller character. But I wasn’t gonna say no to a Gus Van Sant film—there was no version of this scenario where I wasn’t doing the movie. Luckily, when I met with Gus, he told me, “It’s not on the page yet, but I really want Linda to feel more present, I wanna give her her own wants and needs.” The rest came later, after he cast me and I started building her out.
There’s a strong through line in your work—you often play characters who are willing to sacrifice other parts of their lives in order to succeed. Is inflecting them with aspects of your own personality a necessary part of the process for you?
That’s totally case-by-case. I always look for a way to connect to the character, and sometimes that ends up influencing the performance, and sometimes it isn’t relevant to the audience at all. But for the most part, my experience has been that a director has an idea of who the character is, and then when they cast me, the character evolves to suit my sensibility in some way. I don’t know if that’s the case for Bill [Skarsgård], when he’s, like, playing Pennywise in It. I also haven’t played an actual person yet, so maybe that will change, I don’t know.
Were there historical figures or fictional characters that you were turning to for inspiration when developing this character?
I researched whether there were any Black American women reporters in the late ’70s. There was one—just one. When I met with Gus, I was like, “Who is she? Are we doing a Farrah Fawcett blowout? Are we doing Angela Davis?” He was like, “Angela’s great, let’s do that.” So my light inspo was Angela Davis in the ’70s.
What makes this project different from other things you’ve done to this point?
I mean, the sort of obvious answer is that it’s a period piece. I haven’t done anything so evocative of a time. Bell bottoms, platforms, a fro, and a dialect.
Season four of Industry is coming out around the same time as Dead Man’s Wire. How do you prepare for a period of your life that’s gonna be, I imagine, quite full blast?
I mean, you just kinda go for it. This life is so bizarre. It’s like radio silence, you don’t have shit to do for weeks on end, then suddenly everything is happening at the same time. You’re going full-speed from the crack of dawn to midnight every day for two weeks, and then it’s nothing again. Honestly, I just try to get my body right. I try to sleep well and eat well and see my friends and be kind to myself. But there’s nothing you can do.
What is the first thing you do when you arrive on set?
Eat eggs.
What’s your favorite way to start your day?
I always start with brushing my teeth, washing my face, and having a cup of tea. No excuses on the teeth brushing.
Where do you usually start an outfit?
It changes all the time.
What’s a book you bought, but never started?
My mom gave me a book called If You Feel Too Much. Wait, actually that was someone else. My mom gave me a book that’s called 50 Ways to Mend a Broken Heart in high school, which I should have read. Both of those gifts are hardcore telling me something.
Who would you start a cult for?
I don’t think I should start a cult. I think it’s a bad idea.
What is your signature way to kickstart a party?
I prepare by drinking water. Gotta hydrate.
When’s the last time you started a fight?
Probably yesterday with my man. I be doing shit, I don’t know.
What’s the last series you binged from start to finish?
I can’t say. Okay, I’ll say. It’s Hunting Wives. But now I’m watching Heated Rivalry. I need it like I need air to breathe.
The Myha’la Herrold Starter Pack
Lip balm. My pet peeve is a person with chapped lips. It makes me uncomfortable to imagine how uncomfortable you must be.
Digestive enzymes. We sensitive tummy girlies want to eat in peace. We’re trying to make it through the day.
A matcha tea set. I do the whole shebang. People are gonna judge because I don’t use a scale—I just eyeball that shit. It works for me.
Videos of cats. I… just love cats so much. I really can’t live without videos of cats.
My mom. I’m obsessed with her, guys. That’s my girl for real. Moms are super important, and I love them. I love all mothers.
What else is in my starter pack, guys? They’re not paying attention.
[Off-camera]: Being five minutes late.
Wow. I thought you loved me. Apparently, I’m known for this? But just a respectful five minutes—never more.
in your life?
