On a Roll

Michaela Coel has always set the terms of her career. What's next? Playing a Black Panther super warrior. On a visit to Ghana, Coel's ancestral home, Chioma Nnadi tries to keep up.

- Chioma Nnadi

Michaela Coel doesn’t like to sit still; she’s a self- described mover, the type to run a half-marathon in the middle of the night for fun. So I’m not all that surprised when the 35-year-old actor-writer-director suggests meeting for a Rollerblading session on a Sunday morning in Accra, Ghana’s capital city. Totally down for that, sounds like fun!!!” I respond via WhatsApp, adding one too many exclamation points out of apprehension. To be honest, it’s a terrifying idea. The day before, in Accra’s historic Jamestown, I’d witnessed Coel flying through traffic on her skates, her polka-dot Burberry cape flapping wildly behind her, photographer Malick Bodian and his crew in hot pursuit. It was a daredevil stunt suited more to an action movie than a Vogue cover shoot.

Looking every inch the athlete, Coel shows up early for our meet, slender but strong in black running shorts and a sports bra, a purple baseball hat thrown over her closely cropped fro. She shows me her skates— white with gigantic lilac wheels—and tells me that big wheels equal great speed. The balance is tough, but the enjoyment is max,” she says, grinning. We’re in the parking lot of Decathlon, a sprawling French sports-supply store where she’s persuaded me to buy my first blades. The pair I’ve chosen have small wheels— the better to keep me grounded, I think. With guards on my wrists and elbows and kneepads strapped over my baggy jeans, I look like an overgrown teenage boy. Still, safety first-— Coel insists on it. If my skate teacher saw you he'd be like, Where’s the helmet?” she says. For now though, the bucket hat is a fair compromise.