00:00Now, let's take a look at why this millennial icon is so deserving of this prestigious Black Woman in Hollywood Award.
00:18I first became aware of Michaela.
00:21We both auditioned for and ended up going to Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.
00:26Michaela Cole first came on my radar when she used to do spoken word.
00:31Watch my new life as his soul transcends. See this rebirth as his light descends.
00:36Renewed and newborn, I am born again. Amen. Praise God.
00:45I first heard about Michaela in the chewing gum days.
00:50I saw that and I was immediately obsessed with her, who is this such a funny person, but also just so much immediate depth that was so obvious and so singular.
01:04Shereen Gum came from, originally came from a very short solo piece.
01:09And the BAFTA goes to Michaela Cole.
01:12And then it became this, like, huge, you know, BAFTA-nominated, BAFTA-winning kind of, like, juggernaut of a thing.
01:20If there's anyone out there that looks a bit like me or just feels a little bit out of place trying to get into performing and all this kind of stuff, I'd just say, you are beautiful. Embrace it. You are intelligent. Embrace it. You are powerful. Embrace it. Thank you.
01:34I got to meet her, finally, when we worked together on Black Earth Rising. An extraordinary piece of TV. She is an actress. And I do actually do believe this thing. Those who can do comedy can do tragedy. It's not necessarily easier the other way around.
01:52Michaela's character, Arabella, in I May Destroy You is a young Black woman figuring her way out in the world. She's a writer. She's on the cusp of finishing a second book, trying to get her life together. And in the midst of this whole thing, she experiences sexual assault and she experiences trauma.
02:13I May Destroy You resonated with people because it was honest.
02:18It's a radical act of personal revelation and healing. The way she deals with trauma is just a thing of beauty because it's so triumphant.
02:30It's really hard to make something like that. And to make it extremely watchable and not just therapy is incredible.
02:38McKenna's future will be dictated by her. It won't be dictated by anybody else. I think she just wants to have space and time to continue developing.
02:48her craft and sharing her encyclopedic library of thoughts.
02:53And I think we're all going to be delighted to get to see it.
02:57Massive congratulations, my friend Michaela Cole, on your Essence Black Women in Hollywood Award.
03:05I love you Michaela. Congratulations. Congratulations on everything.
03:08Hopefully I'll see you soon after this whole COVID thing. I'm in London right now, so you gotta hit me up.
03:15So thank you for everything you've done for me and sharing everything you have with the world.
03:20This is Essence. This is fantastic. These women hold you up and say, keep going. Fly on. Fly on. Fly on. I love you.
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