I May Destroy You: No Golden Globe Nominations?

Image: I May Destroy You, BBC; edit: @laurenelburns

Never have I ever….sat down to watch a TV series and become so absorbed in a storyline than when I watched BBC’s ‘I May Destroy You.’ Written, co-directed and starred in by 33 year old Michaela Coel, the 12 part series featured the lives of writer Arabella (Michaela Coel) and two of her closest friends, actress Terry (Weruche Opia) and aerobics instructor Kwame (Paapa Essideu). One night, in Episode 1, Arabella is drugged and sexually assaulted; something that Michaela was able to write about from her own life experience.

In a fantastically different way, Michaela opened our eyes to the thoughts, feelings and progression of the aftermath of a hugely difficult experience. The series deals with important topics such as racism, sexism, consent, infidelity, and homosexuality to name a few and highlights the importance of strong friendships, in ways many, if not all of us, can identify with.

‘I May Destroy You’ may have been hard hitting and at times; often heartbreaking, however the delivery was both funny and entertaining and it was extremely thought provoking; for example, it highlights how long lasting the effects of assault can be. Through various sub stories featuring Arabella’s friends, we see how assault is not gender specific and how it can often take a lot of time to process what has happened.

Back in 2017, Michaela was offered $1 Million upfront by Netflix for ‘I May Destroy You.’ It may be a surprise to some but Michaela turned this down when Netflix refused to let her retain any of the copyright if she accepted the offer. She stood her ground, leading to her involvement in the BBC production and the ability to retain the rights to the work. This is an inspiration to young women; highlighting the importance of speaking up for yourself regardless of the environment and having the belief in your abilities. 2020 was a tough year for many and significant for black people across the world. ‘I May Destroy You’ boldly stepped out with an air of confidence, with Michaela, a young black female at the helm, putting the spotlight on the importance of supporting black creatives and diverse representation throughout TV and media.

art: @shegotthepink

When the 78th Annual Golden Globe nominations were announced at the start of February 2021, I was shocked to see the omission of ‘I May Destroy You’; not only from some of the nominated categories, but from all of them. Such an individual series, you could tell Michaela put her heart and soul into it; coupled with the strong identifiable characters and the added relevancy in a ‘#metoo’ era, this series was surely beyond any expectations.

I wasn’t the only one to be surprised…

Countless tweets appeared on the subject, including a tweet from Deborah Copaken, one of the writers of Golden Globe nominated Netflix hit ‘Emily In Paris’ (Nominated for Best Comedy and Best Actress for Lily Collins). She was shocked when she heard that ‘I May Destroy You’ was not nominated and “had to google it twice to be sure.” Deborah tweeted the following;

‘…your show was my favourite show since the dawn of TV and this is just wrong. I loved I MAY DESTROY YOU, and I thank you, personally, for giving us your heart, your mind, your resilience and your humor’

So, who puts forward nominations for the Golden Globes and how could they have got it so wrong?

The HFPA (Hollywood Foreign Press Association) are responsible for putting forward nominations. It is made up of 93 active members from approximately 55 countries, with an estimated total of £250m readership across various newspapers and magazines. Back in 2018, it had been reported that HFPA was often known to favour celebrity over the achievement of the individual firms and performances. Some strong TV series, actors and actresses have been nominated and it is not to take anything away from them however, I believe it is shameful for such a groundbreaking series to be ignored.

The positives we can take away from this include the uproar about the omission and the resultant discussions. In my mind, the reactions of many speaks volumes and my hope is that more people will end up watching the series and will know and appreciate the merits of Michaela Coel as a result of the attention; albeit perhaps not the attention it deserved.

One day after the Golden Globe nominations were announced, Michaela Coel was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild best female actor award, and deservedly so.

by Becky Martin

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