I May Destroy You: Michaela Coel stars in trailer for new series
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The hard-hitting 12-part drama series took the world by storm when it was released last year. The BBC and HBO co-production has since become an instant classic and a major awards contender, and I May Destroy You’s star and creator Michaela Coel has revealed some of the biggest challenges of taking on the role of Arabella Essiedu.
Michaela Coel called her semi-autobiographical role in the acclaimed drama I May Destroy You a ‘dangerous form of therapy’.
The British star featured in the lead role of a young writer and sexual assault survivor Arabella Essiedu in the 12-part miniseries.
Coel revealed the inspiration for the new series during her lecture at the 2018 Edinburgh Festival Fringe in which she recalled being sexually assaulted while she was writing her first series, Chewing Gum.
In a recent chat with Deadline, she confirmed it was assumed from the start she would take on the role of Arabella.
However, portraying a fictionalised version of herself wasn’t as easy as it might sound.
“Whenever things did get a little close to home we had an on-set therapist,” she revealed.
“I went to see her a couple of times and that was really, really helpful.”
The drama explores a number of complex themes, including trauma, sexuality and race, all while drawing from Coel’s own experiences.
Thankfully, the star was able to speak with a professional after shooting I May Destroy You’s toughest scenes.
She also relied on her supporting cast, including Weruche Opia and Paapa Essiedu, to help her through the process of bringing Arabella to life.
Although Michaela Coel has a number of solo scenes throughout the series, she much preferred having the opportunity to bounce off other performers.
Coel recalled: “It’s very much a collaboration, and the actors make me an actor. And it takes me out of my head very easily.”
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“I’m not going to sit there thinking about my reality when I’m playing against actors.
“It enables me to just act and focus on the character rather than just my reality which was very helpful.”
The collaborative nature of the series builds to a crescendo in the mesmerizing and cathartic series finale, ‘Ego Death’.
In a thrilling series of vignettes, Arabella teams with friends Terry (Opia) and Theodora (Harriet Webb) to take revenge against her rapist.
She eventually decides to move on, channelling her trauma as inspiration for her next book, much as Coel incorporated her experience into the series.
“All in all, it’s just fun,” she said. “It was fun and cathartic and liberating and trippy playing something so weirdly connected to my reality.”
Summing up the experience, Coel added: “It’s like a maybe slightly dangerous form of therapy.”
Arabella’s story came to an earth-shattering conclusion with no plans to continue, Michaela Coel has sadly confirmed.
The British actress is still working on future TV projects, however, and will make the leap to the big screen with a major role in Marvel’s upcoming sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
I May Destroy You is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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