Ken Leung Says ‘Industry’ Fans Keep Mistaking Him For A Real Banker

Ken Leung is perhaps best known for his portrayal of ruthless banker Eric Tao on the HBO drama “Industry.”

The role has brought him unprecedented levels of attention, but the actor admits there’s an unexpected downside to being such a critical part of the show’s success.

According to Leung, he is now frequently mistaken for an actual finance professional, with people in the industry often assuming he works in banking.

Ironically, Leung appears to be moving even further from the world of finance in real life, recently expanding his portfolio to include fashion and modeling work.

Leung has been playing the role of Eric on “Industry” for more than five years. In that time, the actor says the character has become his most recognizable to the audience.

“I have to say, almost exclusively now, it’s ‘Industry,’” Leung said during an interview with GQ Magazine. “It’s particularly people in finance who are excited to tell me they’re in finance.”

Prior to “Industry,” Leung was probably most known for playing Miles Straume in “Lost.” The NYC native mentioned that there has been a resurgence in fan engagement for the character.

“Recently we had a 20-year anniversary of ‘Lost,’ which was so long ago,” Leung said. “It’s a little surreal to suddenly hear about it again.”

Leung is quick to point out that there’s a major difference between his real-life personality and that of Eric Tao on “Industry.” Speaking to GQ, Leung did not mince his words when describing the Pierpoint executive.

“Eric is not a nice person,” he said.

Because of that, Leung admitted that he’s often unsure how to respond when fans tell him that Eric reminds them of someone they know in real life.

“A lot of times I’ve heard, ‘Oh, you remind me of this boss I had,’ and I always say, ‘I’m so sorry to hear that,’” Leung said. “And they don’t mean it that way.”

Despite Eric’s ruthless reputation, Leung believes that the character may still be capable of change.

“[Eric] is more likely to come clean,” Leung explained. “In that he has the added agenda of finding a path to his kids.”

Leung is nearing 60 and has spent more than half of his life working in Hollywood. Having built a career largely defined by acting roles on television and film, the “Person of Interest” star is now gravitating towards fashion and modeling for the first time.

According to Women’s Wear Daily, Leung is part of a fashion campaign for Theory’s Spring 2026 collection, in what is the first major campaign of his career.

Leung is joined in the endeavor by “The Bear” star Molly Gordon, who spoke positively about the clothing featured in the shoot.

“The clothes feel relaxed and considered at the same time, which makes them feel incredibly natural to wear,” she said.

Leung says his recent foray into the world of fashion was inspired by watching his castmates on “Industry” take on similar projects.

According to the veteran actor, being surrounded by performers who are comfortable crossing into the fashion world sparked his own curiosity.

“I’ve been witnessing my castmates on 'Industry' do a lot of things like this,” Leung told GQ.

“I’ve always admired how comfortable they are with it, and I’ve been curious about what it’s like, because it’s a world I’ve never gotten to step into,” he added.

In Season 4 of “Industry,” Leung’s character leaves the firm with a massive severance package following a financial collapse and goes into retirement.

This turn of events brought out a new side of Eric, including a noticeably different wardrobe that contrasts sharply with his usual trading-floor wear.

Leung also spoke about this, explaining why the change is revealing.

“[Eric has] reached everyone’s dream,” Leung said. “You work all your life to be able to do nothing, and that doesn’t work for him… he’s not wearing retirement quite the way he maybe dreamt about.”