We barely recognised you with clothes on...
Marisa Abela, star of BBC’s banking and bonking drama Industry, shares a rather chaste kiss with her actor boyfriend
AS THE star of the BBC’s raunchy Square Mile drama Industry, Marisa Abela spends precious l i ttle time i n business attire, frequently stripping down for the sort of graphic sex scenes that have led viewers to comment that the series is ‘more bonking than banking’.
Yet in real life, the actress could not be more different from Yasmin, the ambitious, eager-toplease trainee banker she portrays on screen.
The 24-year-old star was last week spotted planting a tender kiss on the lips of her boyfriend Jamie Bogyo as they paused during a stroll near their home in Brighton. With her hair pinned back into a tidy bun, Marisa tucked her hands in Jamie’s coat pockets for her public display of affection.
It’s a far cry from her explicit performance in the TV drama that follows five ambitious graduates as they vie to forge a career in the cut-throat world of international finance.
Her character – sexually harassed by her boss who has the power to decide whether she will be offered a full-time job – is seen taking part in full-frontal sex scenes with her screen boyfriend Sebastian, played by Jonathan Barnwell. She strips off to seduce him and sends topless selfies from her bathroom.
It is thought romance blossomed between Marisa and Jamie after they met while studying at London’s prestigious drama school Rada. Unlike his famous girlfriend, however, Jamie, also 24, is yet to land a high-profile role.
Industry, which is directed by American star Lena Dunham for the BBC and US cable service HBO, has been described as a cross between Sex And The City and The Wolf Of Wall Street. Last week, HBO ordered a second series to cover more of the sizzling drug and sexfuelled exploits of the young gr a duat e s . HBO e xecut i ve Francesca Orsi said the show offered ‘ a complex l ook at navigating life in your early 20s – replete with thrills, failures and victories’.