What is Industry's Toheeb Jimoh watching?
Does the cast of Industry party as hard as its characters do? I ask the hard-hitting questions over here.
what are they watching? is an interview series for my newsletter in which I chat with a television creative about television itself. Previous interviews include Georgi Banks-Davies, Janicza Bravo, Chelsea Peretti, and Jeff Hiller.
This time around, I had the pleasure of speaking with Toheeb Jimoh, the Emmy-nominated actor you’ll definitely know as Sam Obisanya on Ted Lasso. Currently, he stars on Industry as Kwabena Bannerman, a trader with SternTao who’s also in a situationship with his boss. Alongside Miriam Petche, he just had a fantastic fifth episode that is set in Ghana (the episode has been released early due to the Super Bowl; light spoilers below).
I like to start things off by asking: What are you watching on television lately and enjoying?
I’ve just started watching The Sopranos. It’s one of those shows where I’m like, How has anybody in my life not glued me to a chair, put a gun to my head and been like, watch this TV show right now. You understand why people say this is the best show ever. I’m obsessed with Tony Soprano. I watched Pluribus as well, which was really interesting.
I think Sopranos paved the way for Industry, in some ways.
Definitely. I’m seeing where so many of these other TV shows that are my favorite kind of got it from. There are so many homages to The Sopranos that I’m now aware of.
Can you tell me a bit about what was on your mind when you got cast in Industry? It’s quite a departure from the more wholesome vibes on Ted Lasso.
It is! I was excited to be joining industry because of it. It felt like a really interesting tone shift for me, especially in the work that I’ve done on screen. I love the world of Industry, it’s really dynamic. The characters are really exciting and depraved. For an actor, it’s exciting to play in the gray in the way that Industry characters get to, so I really welcomed it. I’d seen the show before so I knew what I was signing myself up for. If you’re gonna go for debauchery, what better show than Industry? Give me some drug sex and finance after, like, wholesome sports.
That being said, I actually feel like Kwabena is one of the “better” characters on the show, at least from the episodes I’ve seen so far…even after the events of episode 6, I still felt like I was on his side. Is that how you interpreted the character?
Really? I thought he’d be hitting red flags by then. But you’re right—I think a lot of that stems from the fact that he’s not as obsessed as everybody else is with defining himself by his work life and his work persona. He’s kind of there to like, cash the cheque and vibe. If all the Industry characters are chaotic, he’s more chaotic-good or neutral-good, as much as you can get in the world of Industry.
I feel like no one gets Kwabena’s sense of humour! They’re all so serious and he’s like…I’m just here to have a good time.
[Laughs]. Which is part of the fun of it! It’s nice to play somebody who is just here for a good time and not a long time. It’s a very serious, stress-inducing show. So to have somebody who cuts against that tension is really fun. And like you said, he drives them all a bit crazy, which I love. Especially Sweetpea in episode five. They’re just such opposite people, which is part of the fun of the dynamic of the two of them.
What was it like shooting episode 6, which takes place in Ghana?
Oh it was amazing. It felt like we were doing it for real. A bunch of us got to go to South Africa, a ragtag group going off to shoot this standaloneish episode. We had to shoot all of it in four days. The day we were catching our flight back we were shooting that morning, it was that tight. It was easy to get into the headspace of how Sweetpea and Kwabena were feeling, because it kind of felt like Miriam and I were having to do the same thing. The episode turned out really great, especially for Miriam, I thought she carried so much of that episode. Boy, does she nail it.
Is there anything you did to prepare for this role, did you read up on any finance stuff?
No…it’s so funny because with TV, you get these jobs and it’s happening before you know it. A week later you’re there doing the first read-through. So the idea that I would have become a finance expert overnight...I wish I could tell you I did. My prep was on the job, I was calling Mickey and Conrad, voice noting almost daily, every time I had any bit of finance jargon. I just had to understand it for myself in order to say it and make it make sense. But as soon as I finished saying whatever I needed to say, all of that information flew from my brain, and I’m happier for it. I have nothing to offer anyone financially.
So if I asked you to define a short?
No, no, no, I wouldn’t be able to define it. Absolutely not. I know it’s like, a gamble against the market. You buy something that you feel like the market is overvaluing, and you feel like it’s gonna crash and it’s gonna be found out, and then you stockpile all of that stuff, and when the market realizes that the thing isn’t as valuable as they think it is, then you’re in a position to benefit. I think?
I mean that sounds PRETTY accurate to me. All I’m thinking is that viral tweet that says “a short is when you gag the market.”
[Laughs]. Yes! A short is when you gag the market! That’s great. That sounds like a line one of the boys came up with as well.
We get to see some karaoke in this episode, are you a fan of karaoke? If so, what are your go-to songs?
Not really, no. But I keep getting put in situations like this. I open a script and someone’s like, and Toheeb’s character is doing karaoke in front of everyone. I’m like, why doesn’t anyone consult me about this? I had karaoke to do on Ted Lasso as well! That being said, it was really fun. But it’s one of those things that’s a bit weird to do sober.
What are your go-to karaoke songs?
Oh man, I just don’t really do karaoke. “Make a Man Out of You” from Mulan…banger. I’d do “The Climb,” Miley Cyrus. Another banger. Maybe I’d do “Tequila” as a spoof. You know that song where you just say tequila like five times, yeah. What are yours?
I’m terrible at remembering lyrics so I’d have to do a song I know inside and out…so probably like a Lana Del Rey song, which would bum everyone out. Speaking of karaoke…does the cast of Industry party as hard as the characters do?
Ummm…I don’t think so, not in my experience. But then again, I wouldn’t know, because I don’t party that hard. Even at the premiere, I was gone pretty early, so I wouldn’t know. A couple of the cast members are sober, so they’re definite nos. Then again I don’t think anybody should party that hard. I’m usually gone an hour into the party, I go to sleep. I got gym in the morning. I’m trying to brush my teeth and be asleep at a good hour, so…
So you’re not there to see who the stragglers are!
And there are some stragglers in the cast! I won’t name names. I’ll let them snitch on themselves.
How would you describe the last batch of episodes?
Dark. It gets pretty dark. And I’ll also say it gets pretty hard to still root for some of the characters.
What can you say about Ted Lasso season four, if anything?
Nothing! I don’t know anything about Ted Lasso season four. Everybody that’s in it has been pretty much announced. So yeah, I know nothing. I’m wishing them well, though! A couple of us from the men’s team hung out with some of the new cast who are in the new women’s team, and we played darts and we got cooked, lowkey. I don’t know if that was part of the brief when they were casting, but they’re good at darts.
Okay so no darts and no karaoke, noted. What are your foundational TV shows?
Some of the early sitcoms, I’d say: My Wife and Kids, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, for entertainment value, but those episodes are really hard hitting. I have a group of friends who were kind of raised by Uncle Phil from Fresh Prince. I was also really big into anime, so I was watching Naruto growing up.
When I was going to drama school, Viola Davis on How to Get Away with Murder was really significant and impactful at the time. I just finished reading her book. Viola is such an incredible woman, she’s had such an incredible life. And talk about meeting your moment and finding your purpose.
Reading her book now, and obviously having watched her as Annalise Keating…nobody else could have played that part. The amount of vitriol that was coming her way when she got cast as that role…nobody wanted to believe Viola Davis as a sexy TV lead, and I’m like of course it makes sense. That couldn’t have been anyone else. I was watching and thinking, I want to play a character that’s that complex, that hard to root for, but then also that lovable.
In the final chapter, where she’s talking about the decision to take her wig off…that’s what TV should be about, its ability to inspire people who maybe haven’t felt loved or desired, and now suddenly there you are and that many eyes are on you and you can really impact positive social change with the power of television.
I couldn’t have said it better myself. Before I let you go: what’s your favourite TV-watching snack?
I’m not really a snacky one, I’m not like a popcorn guy. Maybe just crisps or something. Pringles or Sensations…yeah, give me a big bag of Sensations, I’ll sit down and finish The Sopranos.
I JUST STARTED SOPRANOS TOO.
kwabena’s most hilarious line: “Uh..forgive me, Dr. Umar…premium calcium.” 🤣🤣🤣