Still from YouTube
Watch the Trailer for 'I May Destroy You,' Michaela Coel's New Series About Sexual Consent
The 'frank and provocative' show is set to premiere on HBO in June.
Last year, it was announced that British-Ghanaian actor and Chewing Gum creator Michaela Coel, would be creating and starring in an HBO series about contemporary dating life and sexual consent originally called January 22. The trailer for the upcoming show, now called I May Destroy You, has arrived.
In I May Destroy You, Coel plays the protagonist Arabella Essiedu, whose life changes after she becomes a victim of sexual assault.
Here's a full description of the series via Shadow & Act:
<blockquote><em>A fearless, frank and provocative half-hour series exploring the question of sexual consent and where, in the new landscape of dating and relationships, the distinction between liberation and exploitation lies. Set in London, where gratification is only an app away, the story centers on Arabella (Coel), a carefree, self-assured Londoner with a group of great friends, a boyfriend in Italy, and a burgeoning writing career. But when her drink is spiked with a date-rape drug, she must question and rebuild every element of her life.</em></blockquote><p>In 2018, the BAFTA-award winning actor revealed that she had been sexually assaulted while writing <em>Chewing Gum </em>during a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odusP8gmqsg" target="_blank">lecture</a> at the Edinburgh TV Festival.<em> </em><em>I May Destroy You</em> is partially based on that experience. "Like any other experience I've found traumatic, it's been therapeutic to write about it, and actively twist a narrative of pain into one of hope, and even humor," she said during the speech. "And be able to share it with you, as part of a fictional drama on television, because I think transparency helps."</p><p><div class="preroll-video"></div><ora-player></ora-player></p><p>The show is a co-production between HBO and BBC, and is set to premiere in June, though the exact date has not been announced. The show also stars several rising actors, including <strong>Weruche Opia, Paapa Essiedu, Aml Ameen, Adam James, Sarah Niles </strong>and<strong> Ann Akin. </strong></p><p>The majority of that cast make up Arabella's diverse friend group. Opia's character, for instance, plays <strong>Terry Pratchard</strong>, her best friend, described as "a struggling actor but always hopeful her career's about to pop." While Essiedu plays <strong>Kwame Acheampong</strong>, "the best male friend to Arabella and Terry. He's an exercise class teacher and Grindr regular."</p><p><div class="dfp_atf-slot" data-not-loaded="true"></div><script type="text/javascript">
checkdfpScripts();
</script></p><p>Watch the trailer for <em>I May Destroy You</em> above.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="fee1e71f7ff9ddce483670294e56d040"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sfiM9jNhDeQ?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">I May Destroy You | Official Teaser | HBO</small>
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfiM9jNhDeQ" target="_blank">www.youtube.com</a>
</small>
</p>
Keep reading...
Show less
