>> Stephen: WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY, MY NEXT GUEST IS THE
STAR, CREATOR AND WRITER OF THE HBO SERIES "I MAY DESTROY YOU".
>> IT SEPARATES HIM FROM EVERYTHING ELSE.
RATHER THAN COSTING HIM, HE TIP TOED ON THIS AND HE EXPERIENCED
THIS FEELING BEING ON THE BOUNDARY.
ON THE BORDER.
RIGHT ON THE LINE OF BEING NEITHER IN ONE PLACE OR ANOTHER,
AND THOUGHT HOW IN THIS GRAY AREA WHERE NOTHING WAS QUITE
CLEAR, NO ONE COULD BE CLEAR.
YOU CAN'T ARTICULATE, COULDN'T PINPOINT EXACTLY WHAT IT WAS WE
FELT WAS SO WRONG, SO YEAH, HE THINKS HE IS THE SMARTEST MAN IN
THE ROOM.
WE HAVE IO START OBSERVING.
>> Stephen: PLEASE WELCOME TO 'A' LATE SHOW, MICHAELA COEL.
>> HI, STEPHEN.
>> Stephen: THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
>> A PLEASURE, THANK YOU FOR INVITING ME.
>> Stephen: WHERE AM I CATCHING YOU IN THE WORLD, IN
THE U.K. OR IN THE STATES.
>> IN LONDON, IN THE U.K.
>> Stephen: WELL, THANK YOU FOR STAYING UP LATE, THEN.
>> IT'S MY PLEASURE, THIS IS ABOUT, I'M PROBABLY GOING TO
START FALLING ASLEEP IN ABOUT HALF AN HOUR, SO YOU CAUGHT ME
JUST AT MY-- JUST RELAXED.
>> Stephen: ME TOO, WE'RE EVEN.
>> YOU TOO?
WHAT TIME IS IT WHERE ARE YOU.
>> Stephen: WHAT DID YOU SAY?
>> WHAT TIME IS IT WHERE ARE YOU.
>> Stephen: JUST PAST MY BED TIME, I PROMISE YOU.
>> I SEE.
>> Stephen: I AM MUCH OLDER THAN YOU ARE.
I YOU YOU CREATED, WROTE, DIRECTED AND STARRED IN, WAS
RELEASED LAST SUMMER AND IT WAS AN INSTANT CRITICAL SUCCESS.
AMAZING THINGS IN THE REVIEWS.
IS HBO, I MAY DESTROY YOU MIGHT BE THE BEST TV SHOW OF THE YEAR.
I MAY DESTROY YOU, HBO'S NEW UNFORGETTABLE, UNMISSABLE DRAMA.
HBO'S I MAY DESTROY SU THE MOST ASTONISHING SHOW ON TV RIGHT
NOW.
IT'S GETTING ALL OF THIS INCREDIBLE PRAISE DURING COVID
QUARANTINE, COULD YOU FEEL IT?
OR WAS THAT ALL JUST HAPPENING AT A GREAT DISTANCE LIKE A CHOIR
SINGING IN A DISTANT ROOM.
>> YES, VERY MUCH.
THEY SENT ME THIS FRAMED POSTER WITH MY FACE AS ARABELLA AND ALL
OF THESE CAPTIONS FROM THESE WONDERFUL JOURNALISTS.
AND I REMEMBER OPENING THE PACKAGE AND LOOKING AT ALL THE
QUOTES AND MY HEAD WAS JUST SPINNING BECAUSE IT IS-- LIFE IS
SO SMALL, YOU KNOW, I WAKE UP.
I GO TO A RUN.
I ORDER IN MY GROCERIES.
I WATCH TV.
I GO TO SLEEP.
SO TO SEE IT, IT WAS LIKE THIS IS WEIRD.
THERE IS A DISCONNECT.
I THINK IT'S DEFINITELY BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC.
>> Stephen: THE SHOW IS BASED ON YOUR OWN STORY.
AND WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO TAKE YOUR OWN TRAUMA AND TURN THAT
INTO A STORY THAT YOU SHARE WITH OTHER PEOPLE, WHAT WAS THAT
DIFFICULT OR WAS IT IN SOME WAYS EMPOWERING?
>> I THINK IF WAS BOTH OF THOSE THINGS.
IT STARTS OFF REALLY SMALL WHEN YOU, I'M SURE YOU KNOW WHEN YOU
MAKE CONVERSATION.
IT IS LAUNCHED TO THE WORLD, BEFORE YOUR CAST EVEN GATHERS
FOR A TABLE READ, THERE SAY VERY INTIMATE YEAR AND A HALF OF
WRITING WHERE YOU ARE CREATING SOMETHING AND SHARING IT WITH
HBO AND THAT IS MY COPRODUCERS PHIL AND TED AT THE BBC, SO IT
IS THIS TINY PUB THE HUB, AND EVERYTHING FEELS REALLY
INTIMATE.
AND THEN THERE IS THE NEXT PHASE WHERE THE CAST HAS YOUR SCRIPT
AND THE CREW HAVE YOUR SCRIPT AND NOW A FEW HUNDRED PEOPLE ARE
READING IT AND THEN IT GOES TO THE WORLD AND IT IS MILLIONS.
SO IT FEELS QUITE GRADUAL IN SHARING SOMETHING SO PERSONAL,
AND IT IS STILL HARD AND IT IS STILL TRIPPY BUT SOMETHING
CAUSED A LOT OF PAIN AND SOMETIMES IT IS A SURPRISE TO ME
THE FACT THAT IT EVEN HAPPENS.
IT IS SOMETIMES TRIPPY THAT SO MANY PEOPLE ARE HEARING ABOUT
IT.
AND WATCHING IT.
BUT THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT MAKING A SHOW ABOUT YOUR PAIN,
IT'S ALMOST AS IF NEW MEMORIES REPLACE OLD ONES, OR SORT OF
STAND BESIDE PAINFUL MEMORIES SO WHENEVER YOU THINK ABOUT THE
PAIN YOU THINK ABOUT THE BEAUTIFUL EXPERIENCE OF MAKING
THE SHOW AND WHAT A JOY IT WAS AND HOW MANY OPPORTUNITIES IT
GAVE TO OTHER PEOPLE AS WELL AS MYSELF.
>> IS THIS TRUE THAT BEFORE YOU, EVERY TIME BEFORE YOU START
WRITING A PROJECT YOU GOOGLE HOW TO WRITE A TELEVISION SERIES?
>> YES, YES, I MEAN HAVE I ONLY MADE THE THREE.
THIS IS THE THIRD SHOW.
>> >> Stephen: ONLY THREE.
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, SOME PEOPLE HAVE BEEN IN THIS GAME FOR A
VERY LONG TIME.
>> Stephen: I KNOW, BUT THAT IS A LOT.
SO WHAT DO YOU LEARN, WHY DO YOU HAVE TO REGOOGLE IT EVERY TIME.
>> NOW ARE YOU ASKING ME WHAT I LEARN, AND AGAIN I DON'T
REMEMBER WHICH MEANS I'M GOING TO HAVE TO GOOGLE AGAIN.
I THINK I'M LEARNING SOME SORT OF BASIC LIKE ADD STRUCTURE, IN
THE HERO HAS TO LEARN SOMETHING, AND FIRST YOU BEGIN WITH, YOU
SET UP THE LIFE AND THEN WE MEET A PROBLEM.
IT'S SOME BASIC STUFF THAT I THINK OTHER PEOPLE LEARNED WHEN
THEY WERE WRITING IN WRITER'S ROOMS OR WHEN THEY WENT TO
SCHOOL STO LEARN ABOUT WRITING.
HAVE I NEVER DONE EITHER OF THOSE THINGS SO I HAVE TO KEEP
SORT OF LEARNING THIS ELEMENTARY, LIKE WIKIHOW TO
WRITE.
>> Stephen: YOU'RE DOING A GREAT JOB.
SO POST SOME LINK FOR THE REST OF US THAT COULD USE REFRESHERS.
>> TYPE IT IN GOOGLE OR DOT DOT GO, WHATEVER YOUR SEARCH ENGINE,
AOL, ASK JEEFS HOW TO WRITE A TV SHOW.
YOU CAN ALWAYS DO HOW TO WRITE A COMEDY, HOW TO WRITE A DRAMA.
IT'S ALL THERE.
>> Stephen: THANKS SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> PLEASURE.
>> Stephen: I MAY DESTROY YOU IS AVAILABLE NOW ON HBO.
MICHAELA COEL, EVERYBODY.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH A PERFORMANCE BY KINGS OF LEON.