Kal Penn on Industry’s New Rich Slob and Friendship with Zohran Mamdani

For Industry superfan Kal Penn, the opportunity to appear in the fourth season of HBO’s finance drama was an instant ‘yes.’ And then he remembered the other thing that Industry is about.

“I was like, ‘Oh, but do I have to take my clothes off? I really should read it first,’’ Penn recalls. “I read the first four episodes, and I was like, ‘So I don’t get to take my clothes off? Like, why not? I could get into really good shape in three months!’”

In the end, Penn didn’t have to undress, though, as doomed Tender CEO Jonah Atterbury, he does spend most of the season 4 premiere, “PayPal of Bukkake,” talking about his sex life and fetishes (and yes, Jonah does declare that he’s a big fan of what’s referenced in the episode title). After season 3 left behind the not-so friendly confines of Pierpoint, the new era of Industry finds its returning capitalists spread out, and introduces Tender, a platform originally intended to help reroute porn payments. Co-founders and longtime friends Jonah and Whitney (Max Minghella) have differing views of its future: Whitney envisions becoming a private bank available on your phone, and Jonah, who spends much of the first episode so hungover you can smell him, is happy to stick to “sucking, fucking, rolling the dice,” because “jerking off is recession proof.”

When the Tender board confronts Jonah over alleged misuse of company funds and activity unbecoming of a CEO, Whitney refuses to look at him, before finally saying, “Your problem is, I’m not speaking to you, Jonah. I haven’t seen you for some time.” Jonah storms out, and Whitney’s search for a new CEO is officially underway, with all signs pointing to Henry Muck (Kit Harington).

“I enjoy playing people who are as different from me as possible, and this guy is completely different, from his ego to his background,” Penn says of Jonah. “There’s so many different things that make Jonah tick that were a welcome challenge to dive into.”

After having previously worked for President Obama’s administration, Penn recently served on the inauguration committee of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who Penn first met when the politician was only 14 years old. When we speak before the Industry season premiere, it’s been a few days since Mamdani was sworn in, but the Harold & Kumar alum has his priorities straight.

GQ: What a week it’s been for you so far.

Kal Penn: A very cool time to be in New York City. I mean, first and foremost, I’m an actor, so, no shade to other things happening in the world, but, selfishly, the Industry premiere is definitely the highlight!

When you’re popping in for a brief run as a new character like this, is there pressure, or do you actually feel more free to just let it fly?

I was a huge fan of Industry, so there was definitely an excitement going in, but I had no idea what I was walking into. This is a world that I don’t personally know anything about. I feel like people always think I’m smarter than I actually am, and I guess all that means is I can read and talk to people who actually work in finance to see what it’s about. But it’s also one of those shows where the things that are being said are not often what’s being communicated.

There’s such a specific energy to Industry and a sharpness and speed to the dialogue and performances. Like, even in your intro scene, you’re just in it, doing this meaty walk and talk. Were you easily able to find your place in that?