Myha’la wanted to be a Traitor — but her bigger challenge was shaking off Harper Stern

Myha’la, who plays Harper Stern in Industry, began Britain’s Celebrity Traitors series two as a Faithful, according to the Guardian’s 2 October episode-two coverage. The BBC contestant had wanted to be a Traitor — and planned to change her appearance so fellow players would separate her from her scheming screen character.

“It will be an insane uphill battle convincing people that I'm not Harper too!” she said in pre-show BBC comments reproduced by Radio Times. Her answer was practical: different hair, jewellery and outfits to make the distinction visible.

Contains Celebrity Traitors series-two opening-episode spoilers. The Faithful designation reflects her status before episode two, not her eventual result.

Is Myha’la a Traitor or a Faithful?

The Guardian listed Myha’la as a Faithful in its live coverage on 2 October. That answers the opening-series question, but it is separate from what she said she hoped would happen before the programme began.

That was her pre-show reasoning, rather than evidence about how this cast would treat her. In the format, selected Traitors secretly eliminate other contestants while trying to avoid detection. Being assigned a role and successfully navigating the game are different things.

Claudia Winkleman hosts the celebrity competition, whose contestants play for up to £100,000 for their chosen charity. Radio Times dates the second series’ launch to 1 October on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The opening role disclosure does not establish Myha’la’s later survival, any recruitment or eventual winnings.

Why Myha’la wanted to look different from Harper Stern

For Myha’la, the preparation included thinking about what other contestants might already associate with her. Radio Times reports that she deliberately planned hair, jewellery and clothing choices that would distinguish her from Harper. Her quoted concern was about persuading people she was not the character they knew.

There is a specific fictional reputation behind that concern. In its June interview with Myha’la, Dazed describes Harper as a trader willing to fabricate academic credentials and manipulate people to get ahead. Those are actions written for Harper, not claims about the actor playing her.

Harper’s appearance is also a deliberate part of the performance. In Vogue’s January interview, Myha’la explained that the character’s fourth-season microbraids were chosen to express greater power and independence. She connected the expensive, demanding hairstyle with Harper’s move towards becoming her own boss after season three.

That earlier account gives context to the Celebrity Traitors wardrobe plan: Myha’la had already described building a recognisable visual identity for Harper. Her pre-show comments establish an intention to create distance from it. They do not establish whether fellow contestants noticed the changes or found them persuasive.

Who is Myha’la beyond Industry?

Radio Times identifies Myha’la as a 30-year-old actor from San Jose, California. Dazed records her birth name as Myha’la Herrold and says she has worked professionally under her first name since 2023. Industry is her best-known role, but her early ambition was to perform on Broadway.

Her route to Harper involved a large casting search. British GQ reported in 2022 that Industry’s creators considered 200 audition tapes before selecting Myha’la, then a recent graduate of Carnegie Mellon’s theatre programme. Harper began as an American outsider at the fictional London investment bank Pierpoint & Co.

Myha’la told GQ that her own experience as a young Black American moving abroad for a first major job helped her understand Harper’s insecurity and desire to impress. She also distinguished performing financial scenes from having trading expertise: consultants supported the production while she concentrated on the character’s emotional and strategic aims.

What Myha’la has said about being compared with Harper

The distinction predates Celebrity Traitors. Speaking to Dazed in June, Myha’la described sharing Harper’s ambition while approaching people differently: “I’m a kill-them-with-kindness girl, not a bulldoze-a-bitch girl.” That was an earlier discussion of acting and personality, rather than a response to events in the castle.

She also told Dazed that she admired Harper’s ability to set and maintain boundaries while recognising the character’s flaws. Her career extends beyond that role, with credits including Bodies Bodies Bodies, Swiped, Dead Man’s Wire and They Will Kill You.