Coel, 33, created, wrote, codirected, created and starred in the critically acclaimed HBO series, which was closed from every eligible category for the 78th annual Golden Globes. I May Destroy You follows Arabella (Coel), a young girl who tries to rebuild her life once it has flipped upside down in the aftermath of sexual attack. While she struggles to recall the details of the incident, she attempts to put the pieces back together with the help of her friends.
The British play was among the most-talked-about series of 2020, but apparently failed to impress the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Many enthusiasts compared Coel’s powerful project to Netflix’s Emily in Paris, that was nominated for Best Television Series — Musical or Comedy. Lead celebrity Lily Collins also got a nod for her performance.
TV fans are not the only ones who are disappointed by the shortage of recognition for Coel and her series.
“I Will Destroy You wasn’t just my favorite show of 2020. It’s my favourite show ,” Copaken wrote. “It takes the complex issue of a rape — I’m a sexual assault survivor myself — and infuses it with heart, humor, pathos and a narrative constructed so well, I had to see it twice, just to understand how Coel did it. … That I May Destroy You didn’t get one Golden Globe nod isn’t just wrong, it’s what is wrong with everything.”
Capoken’s disappointment is”not just about race” or representation, but she added, but paints a broader picture about just what the industry could improve.
“Yes, we need artwork that reflects all our colours, not just a few. But we also will need to give awards to displays (and songs and movies and plays and musicals) that deserve themno matter the color of the skin of their founders,” she reasoned. “Is Hamilton great because Lin-Manuel Miranda is Puerto Rican? No. It is great since it bangs. By that same token, how anybody can watch I Will Destroy You and not call it a brilliant work of art or Michaela Coel a genius is beyond my capability to comprehend how these decisions are made.”
On Thursday, February 4, Coel has been nominated for Best Actress in a Television Movie or Limited Series for its 2021 Screen Actors Guild awards.
