After dazzling audiences with the raunchy Brit comedy Chewing Gum in 2015, British actress and writer Michaela Coel is back with an HBO series seeking to navigate the topical waters of sexual consent.
What We Know:
- Arabella Essiuedu (Coel) – easily distracted, non-committal, and carefree – finds herself feted as the ‘voice of her generation,’ with an agent, a book commission and a helluva lot of pressure. After being sexually assaulted in a nightclub, her life changes irreversibly and Arabella is forced to reassess everything: her career, her friends, even her family. As Arabella struggles to come to terms with what has happened, she begins a journey of self-discovery.
- The trailer does not explicitly discuss sexual assault, instead going for a fractured, fragmented series of scenes that imply Arabella’s life is dysfunctional and there is far more going on behind the scenes than we know about.
- Coel stars in the series alongside Weruche Opia, Paapa Essiedu, Aml Ameen, Adam James, Sarah Niles, and Ann Akin. Other cast members include Karan Gill, Samson Ajewole, Harriet Webb, Natalie Walter Ellie James, and Franc Ashman.
- Coel has been on a roll since debuting Chewing Gum. She also starred in the 2018 musical Been So Long and was in the Hugo Blick-directed international thriller Black Earth Rising last year.
- HBO stated in its press release, I May Destroy You will “explore the question of sexual consent in contemporary life and how, in our modern landscape of dating and relationships, we make the distinction between liberation and exploitation.”
- HBO is no stranger to shows tackling tough topics. There is no doubt I May Destroy You fits perfectly with their penchant to cast an eye on serious events, be it Euphoria, Barry, or any number of the network’s docuseries. The nature of sexual assault on film and television remains a dominant topic post #MeToo, and there are so many angles that remain unexplored.
I May Destroy You will air on HBO, HBO NOW, HBO and HBO On Demand in June.
