Michaela Coel

Born and raised in London, U.K. to Ghanaian parents and brought up by her mother, Michaela Coel is a British actress, singer, screenwriter, director and producer. She began her career doing open mic poetry in theatres around London. There she discovered her passion for theatre and in 2009 she enrolled in the summer school program at the Talawa Theatre Company. That same year she released her first ever music album entitled ‘fixing barbie’. She also obtained a 2.1 in English at University before enrolling at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where she was awarded the Laurence Olivier bursary, graduating in 2012.

Coel started to gain recognition in 2012 when her first play ‘chewing gum dreams’ was first produced at the Hackney theatre. The show then went on to be performed in several different theatres around London to positive reviews. She went on to write and star in a sitcom (chewing gum) inspired by her first play which earned her a British Academy Television award for best female performance and a BAFTA for breakthrough talent for writing the show. Over the next coming years she continued to act in several series and movies such as black mirror and black earth rising.

Her latest series ‘I May Destroy You’ tells the story of her personal experience with sexual assault. It follows Arabella (Coel) — a funny, messy, sharp-as-hell London writer — after a dizzying night in which she’s drugged and raped by a stranger. At first, she dismisses the hazy memory as just an upsetting image in her head. Soon enough, though, Arabella reluctantly comes to understand it as the truth, and tries to work through that horrifying reality without coming apart ( Framke, 2020). Coel confronted her demons using this masterpiece and bravely showed the world her vulnerability.

As a black female, it is refreshing to see a young black woman gaining recognition for her art in what is usually a white male dominated industry. Michaela was not afraid of the hindrances and obstacles that were put in her path, she broke down those barriers and paved a way for herself. In 2018, she spoke about her trauma publicly while delivering the Edinburgh International Television Festival’s James MacTaggart Memorial Lecture, a prestigious assignment the festival has otherwise bestowed on a cadre of white British television mainstays (as well as no fewer than three Murdochs) (Framke, 2020).

She shone a light on the industry's racist and classist structure and the difficulty as a poor young black woman getting her first series ‘chewing gum’ on mainstream television. Coel stood bravely on stage and addressed this prestigious audience without fear and told them what was wrong with the film industry. She talked about the lack of empathy that was allotted to her when she was going through trauma from her assault. The expectation for her to still deliver scripts on their due dates.

All these are reasons why Michaela inspires me, her story teaches me to not be afraid to confront your demons and fight for what you want. The colour of your skin should never be a hindrance to achieving your dreams. Acknowledge your strengths and use them to your advantage. She wrote, directed, produced and starred in her own tv show, never waiting to be offered a role or be told ‘you are not a good fit’ instead she made a role for herself. I am a black female living in a small town in Canada and finding career success is challenging most of the time but seeing women like myself achieving success inspires me to focus and work harder. I know I am able to write the script of my own destiny, I just have to be brave, confront my fears, acknowledge it, absorb it and turn it into my success story.

Bibliography

Framke, C. (2020, August 19). How Michaela Coel Processed Trauma and Fought to Own Her Story With ‘I May Destroy You’. Variety. Retrieved March 11, 2021, from https://variety.com/2020/tv/features/i-may-destroy-you-michaela-coel-1234739041/