I May Destroy You: Michaela Coel reveals backstory behind protagonist’s name

Actor portrays Arabella in the acclaimed series

Michaela Coel has revealed the backstory behind her character Arabella’s name in her acclaimed series I May Destroy You.

The actor, screenwriter, and director discussed the show on the BBC’s CDX programme, which consists of a series of talks with several creative minds.

During the chat, Coel, who was born in London to Ghanaian parents, was asked about the portrayal of Ghanaian identity on I May Destroy You.

“From the very beginning, because obviously the character is based loosely on myself, I was already very interested in this hybrid of Ghanaian and British identity,” she said.

“So her name is Arabella, which I didn’t realise was an actual name.”

Coel explained that she came up with Arabella by mixing up a Ghanaian name and a European one – an element that was explored in a “very old version” of I May Destroy You‘s first episode.

In that version, Coel said, someone asks Arabella where her name is from, to which Arabella responds that “her mum wanted to give her one Ghanaian name, because she’s Ghanaian, but also a European name, because she was scared that if she didn’t have that European association with her identity, she might not get as far in life in Britain as she wanted her to”.

“So it’s this strange hybrid that I explore technically with her name from the first episode,” she added.

I May Destroy You was released by BBC One in the UK and HBO in the US starting in June this year.

The series has earned wide praise, notably for its exploration of trauma and its aftermath.

The Independent gave it a five-star review, deeming it “a TV experience like no other”.