Michaela Coel: blazing a trail across our screens
YOU MAY HAVE noticed that there is only one TV show that people are talking about right now. Raving about, in fact. That show is I May Destroy You. The BBC series comes hot on the heels of Fleabag and Killing Eve, two critically acclaimed female-led comedydramas. But this one is different. It reaches into the darker depths of both the female and queer experience by exploring the visceral reality of rape, sexual assault, consent and what it’s like to be a Black person navigating their trauma. TV has found a new heroine in Michaela Coel, who electrifies both on screen and off it as its creator, writer, co-director and star.
In recent years, Michaela has impressed with roles in Netflix’s Black Mirror and Black Earth Rising – in which she appeared alongside John Goodman – and even had a cameo in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. But she began her career as a poet before appearing on stage and earning rave reviews for her one-woman show, Chewing Gum Dreams. Her adaptation of the play into the E4 series Chewing Gum earned her two BAFTAS in 2016, but it was while writing the second season that she was sexually assaulted after having her drink spiked.
You don’t have to be a Black Millennial writer from London to relate to Arabella, Michaela’s pink-haired protagonist, whose slow realisation that she has been the victim of a drug-facilitated rape begins the tale. As
the series progresses, the narrative shifts back and forth in time and explores the perspectives of other people in Arabella’s life. As she processes the harrowing event, with each new episode a heavy truth is unlocked about society’s treatment of those who have suffered because of the prevalence of rape culture. It’s why people from all backgrounds are feeling represented by the all-too-common stories that I May Destroy You refuses to sugar-coat. The authenticity of the portrayal comes from Michaela’s brave reflections on her own trauma.
She spent two and a half years writing and reflecting on that experience. ‘It’s been quite hard but cathartic,’ she said last month, ‘because I’m reflecting on a dark time rather than feeling it is happening to me right now.’ The result is a multifaceted, personal narrative that her co-star, Weruche Opia, believes is igniting a much-needed conversation.
‘I know right now a lot of people on Twitter are speaking out about their experiences of abuse and sexual assault,’ Weruche says over the phone. ‘I think it’s encouraging people to heal from these things and giving them the courage to speak out without fear.’
Weruche plays Terry, Arabella’s actor best friend and, despite the clear chemistry between them, the two had never met before her casting. ‘We didn’t have a relationship before but it was quite magical,’ she says. ‘We built our friendship on set and it was great to work with her. Michaela’s a “what you see is what you get” person and it really comes across on screen just how much we enjoyed ourselves.’
‘She’s just an incredible person to be around generally,’ adds Harriet Bell, whose character in the show, Theo, leads a sexual assault victims’ support group. ‘I felt we had a real connection immediately, which is a beautiful thing and also makes you so much more relaxed in an incredibly pressurised situation.’
Weruche says Michaela was great at relieving the tension on set. ‘In episode three, she made up the shot glass song on the spot,’ she recalls. ‘She makes up songs and we do dances to keep our spirits up. It was a lot of fun.’
I May Destroy You arrives at a time when greater scrutiny is being placed on the film and TV industry’s treatment of Black creatives. It’s one of the few British series that is not only led by a predominantly Black cast, but also has a Black woman as its showrunner, and Harriet says they couldn’t have asked for a better leader.
‘Having a lot of women [on set] is already so rare in my experience, so it was inspiring to see someone who is just firing on all cylinders and at the top of her game,’ she says. ‘She was being her best self every single day and I was totally in awe. She makes you feel like anything’s possible.’
‘I May Destroy You’ is on BBC One and iplayer