Sagar Radia Balances His Alpha-Male Energy on ‘Industry’ With Some Alone Time

Sagar Radia calls Rishi Ramdani, the take-no-prisoners market maker he plays on the HBO finance drama “Industry,” a walking red flag.

“He’s an alpha male, he leads with his chest out,” Radia said. “And he’s the epitome of bravado, which is so fascinating, because for someone like myself who comes from a British South Asian background as an actor, we don’t get the chance to play those types of roles.”

He added: “Unless your name is Riz Ahmed or Dev Patel, everything in between is so limited.”

So when Radia, 37, was told that he would be getting a stand-alone episode in Season 3, which started last month, he thought it was a lovely idea but didn’t expect it to happen. And yet it did.

He recalled reading the script for the fourth episode, in which Rishi’s life spirals into chaos as he tries to extract himself from snowballing debt, and thinking, “I need to do everything I can to make them feel like they made the right choice.”

In a video call from London, Radia talked about the pleasures of a “Suits” rewatch, working in retail as a struggling actor and the crepes he’ll happily stand in a 45-minute queue for.

These are edited excerpts from the conversation.

1

Cars

My first car was a Rover 500, a very, very basic car that my mom was lucky enough to let me drive. It was hers. She insured me on it. And my second car was this Vauxhall that we had. It was a step up for me. And now, without sounding too bougie about it, I drive a Mercedes GLA. I’m an incredibly independent person. And I just really love driving.