"Industry" Star Myha'la Recalled The Cringey Way She Flirted With Her Fiancé When They First Met, And It's Actually Really Cute

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Myha'la is opening up about how her popular role in Industry led her to find love in an unexpected way.

Myha'la in a beaded dress at he Industry premiere

Myha'la, who plays lead character Harper Stern on the HBO investment banking drama series, says she was going through her DMs one day and the rest is history.

Smiling woman with glasses and an updo, wearing a white textured cardigan over a black dress, gives a peace sign

She recently stopped by Late Night with Seth Meyers to chat about the new third season and her engagement, and the 28-year-old actor couldn't help but gush over how she met her man, her man, her man — fellow actor, Armando Rivera.

Adeline Rudolph and Adam DiMarco stand on a red carpet; Adeline wears a floral dress, and Adam wears a suit with a black scarf

Let me set the mood: it was during the height of COVID, Season 1 of Industry debuted on HBO, and Myha'la had a lot of time on her hands due to the restrictions and rules that came along with the pandemic. So, she used some of that time to read her private messages on Instagram.

Two women, one with braids in a business suit, and one with straight hair in a beige coat over a white blouse, walking on a city street

While rummaging through random feet requests and other weird stuff, the Bodies, Bodies, Bodies star stumbled upon a congratulatory message from Armando.

A person with short hair smiles while sitting on a talk show set. In the background, city buildings are visible at night. The person wears a sleeveless top

"There was one [message] that just said, 'Congrats on the show! I'm a huge fan. I wish you all the success in the world.' Or something like that," Myha'la said.

Myah'la sits on a late-night talk show set, smiling and waving her hands, while host Seth Meyers, dressed in a sweater, looks at her from behind his desk

"I said, 'Thank you,' and the next day I woke up to a string of video messages." Thinking it was going to be something "weird," Myha'la was hesitant to open them up, but she did anyway. "So, I looked at his profile and was like, 'Oh, he's kind of cute. I guess I'll watch it."

A woman with short hair and tattoos, wearing a sleeveless top, speaks during a late-night talk show interview

Armando recorded himself asking Myha'la if he could interview her for a school project. She thought it was ballsy of him to send a self-recorded video of himself to a complete stranger, so she ultimately agreed to help him out. What was supposed to be a 5 to 10-minute Zoom call turned into a 45-minute one.

Two people stand holding hands; the taller individual wears a suit, and the shorter individual wears a knee-length dress with pointed shoes

Myha'la could feel a connection between them. Before they ended the call, she remembers flirting with him and asking him questions about himself. In the moment, it was probably innocent, but as she reflected on the conversation, she couldn't help but cringe.

T'nia Miller, seated on a TV show set, wearing a sleeveless top, visibly laughing with eyes closed

She said she hopped off the call thinking, "Wow, I'm in love with a stranger. How weird." She felt herself being cringey again, when she followed up with Armando about the interview.

Armando Rivera and Myha'la Herrold on red carpet; Alex in a black suit, Myha'la in a sequined dress with a deep neckline at HBO's Industry premiere

"A few days passed, and I was like, 'So, did you get an A on your project?'" She then audibly screamed, still embarrassed by what she wrote him.

Person excitedly talking on a talk show set

But Armando didn't find it embarrassing because that sparked their initial consistent message exchange. They chatted for three weeks on social media before Armando took the leap and asked for her phone number. The number exchange then led to "COVID-esque FaceTime dates." A month later, they met in person, and she arrived with a bottle of wine in one hand and hand sanitizer in another.

Myha'la in a red plaid outfit holds hands with Armando Rivera in a purple and black rose-patterned shirt and black pants, standing on a city street

Myha'la said the first time they held hands felt like when the Na'vi creatures in the Avatar franchise link their braids together and mate for life. Magical.

Ariana DeBose and Morgan McGill stand together at a US Open event. Ariana is wearing a relaxed outfit with a cap, while Morgan is in a denim jacket and sunglasses

Well, last July — three-and-a-half years after their first meeting — Armando proposed to Myha'la while wearing a shirt with her face all over it. Now, they're planning their wedding.

And be sure to check out Season 3 of Industry, airing every Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.

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