The HBO finance drama Industry had a costly secret hidden in its first season: a small figurine of President Trump that the network spent a large amount of money erasing from the final cut. Star Ken Leung, who plays Eric Tao, recently revealed he snuck the political prop onto the set, causing a major post-production problem for the studio.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, this came up when Leung and his co-star Myha’la Herrold were asked about the political views of their characters, Eric Tao and Harper Stern. Both are Americans working in the competitive finance industry in London, and both actors felt their aggressive, ambitious characters were likely conservative voters.
Leung told reporters that he used to have a small President Trump figurine sitting on top of his Bloomberg monitors during the first season. When Herrold asked if the production team made him remove it, Leung revealed the full extent of what happened. “No, what I was told is that they spent so much money erasing that from every frame,” he said.
HBO’s decision to erase the prop shows how carefully the network controls the show’s image
Herrold remembered the situation too, recalling the production team’s frustration with the unplanned prop. “Oh, yeah. I remember now, they were like, we blew the budget just to get that s— out,” she said. Both actors seemed to agree that the political detail made sense for their characters.
Herrold added that their characters “must vote conservatively.” Leung also believes the show already gives viewers enough information about where his character stands politically, even without the figurine. “Yes, my story answers that question,” he said. “It’s indirect, but it’s also direct.” It is worth noting that Trump has also been making headlines recently for his sharp remarks directed at world leaders.
Spending a large sum of money to digitally remove a single object from an entire season is a significant commitment to avoiding unintentional political statements. It reflects how seriously the network takes creative control over the show’s image and message.
The current fourth season of Industry has been a strong success, premiering to higher viewership than Season 3. Critics have been calling the current run “top-tier television.” HBO has also been busy improving its platform for viewers, and a long-requested HBO Max feature is now available after fans waited since 2020. The eight-episode season started on January 11 and is set to end on March 1.
Published: Feb 17, 2026 04:15 pm