Michaela Coel says she didn’t want to be ‘exploited’ by Netflix with million-dollar deal

Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Michaela Coel has discussed her decision to turn down a million dollar deal from Netflix for her show I May Destroy You. During an interview on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour this morning, Coel was asked by host Emma Barnett: “You did turn down a million dollars from Netflix for I May Destroy You because you weren’t allowed to own the copyright and you kept asking questions… do you think you were judged because you were a woman?” Coel replied: “I don’t remember feeling like people found me difficult, I remember feeling like people found me disturbed. It was like, ‘She’s a crazy woman…,’ to the point that I started to think I was crazy or unnecessarily paranoid.” She continued: “It’s hard to say to people trust your gut or instinct… but that’s what I did in that situation, I’m glad I did because in the end I wasn’t a crazy woman who was acting wild and disturbed and unhinged, I was right to observe the industry and observe there was a lack of transparency because there was an exploitation occurring.” The star added: “If I didn’t press on… I wouldn’t have got to that truth and I wouldn’t have ended up saying no to being exploited and having the space to say yes to employers who were not exploiting me, who were willing to collaborate with me and listen to me and treat me as an equal.” A representative for Netflix declined to comment when contacted by The Independent.