Michaela Coel is giving us another sneak peep into her life .
This station contains give-and-take of sexual assault .
Michaela Coelis bringing her brilliance back to the small screen.
The 36-year-old actor, writer, and director is set to create and star in a new drama series calledFirst Day on Earthfor HBO and the BBC. Shedescribedthe show, which will feature 10 episodes, as “another very personal story for me.”
First Day on Earthwill follow British novelist Henri (Michaela), whose life seems to be at a standstill. Work has hit a dry spell, and her relationship is going nowhere, so when she’s offered a job on a film in Ghana — her parents' homeland, where her estranged father lives — she can’t resist the opportunity to add a new adventure to her life, reconnect with her heritage, and hopefully reconnect with her dad.
But when she arrives, neither the job nor her father is what she expected. Henri is forced to embark on a journey of self-discovery, that could either make her or break her.
Michaela’s parents areGhanian, but she and her sister were raised by their mom in East London, where she often felt isolated because she was the only Black pupil in her classes.
" First Day on Earthis another very personal level for me which I hope will engage viewers from all over the mankind , and I ca n’t wait for audience to go on Henri ’s journeying with her , ” Michaelasaid .
Michaela is no stranger to transforming her intimate life experiences into works of art. She did it in 2020 when she created, wrote, co-directed, and starred inI May Destroy You— anEmmy Award-winning limited seriesabout a social media star-turned-novelist who struggles to remember and come to terms with the night she was drugged and sexually assaulted.
In 2018, while giving alectureat the Edinburgh International Television Festival, Michaela revealedthe series was inspired by a real-life traumatic event. She recounted a time when she regained consciousness after a night out with a friend and realized she’d been raped. This happened while she was writing her first showChewing Gum.
" I was working overnight in the party ’s offices , " Michaela say . " I had an episode due at 7 a.m. I take a break and had a crapulence with a proficient friend who was nearby . I emerged into consciousness type time of year two , many hour subsequently . I was favorable — I had a flashback . It turned out I had been sexually assaulted by strangers . "
It took Michaela two-and-a-half years to writeI May Destroy You. She ultimately decided writing these 12 episodes would not only be cathartic but helpful for others who might have experienced sexual assault.
You can learn more about Michaela and her new project onDeadline.
If you or someone you lie with has experienced sexual assault , you may call theNational Sexual Assault Hotlineat 1 - 800 - 656 - Bob Hope ( 4673 ) , which rout the caller to their nearest sexual rape service supplier . you could also look for your local centerhere .
