Jessica Gunning, who plays the haunting stalker Martha in Netflix’s “Baby Reindeer,” says creator and star Richard Gadd was on her radar even before she auditioned for the show — ever since she saw his one-man show “Monkey See Monkey Do” at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
“I just thought it was one of the most profound things I’ve ever seen really on stage,” she said. “Then I tried to go and see ‘Baby Reindeer’ the play, but it was sold out. So, I actually bought the play text, which is a bit Martha of me.”
Gadd, Gunning, actor Nava Mau, director Weronika Tofilska and editor Peter Oliver served as panelists Tuesday night at the DGA Theater Complex for Netflix’s FYC screening and panel for the limited series. The streamer submitted “Baby Reindeer” for consideration to be nominated for best limited series at the Emmys, along with Gadd to be considered for best actor and best writing.
Adapted from Gadd’s eponymous stage play, which premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2019, “Baby Reindeer” follows a fictionalized version of Gadd named Donny who meets a woman named Martha (Gunning) while working in a pub. What starts off as Donny offering her a cup of tea out of sympathy turns into a twisted and complex relationship where Martha wreaks havoc on Donny’s relationships. Through his experiences with Martha, Donny is forced to confront the trauma of a past sexual assault and come to terms with his sexuality.
Popular on PvNew
Gadd said he went into an “obsessive place” to write the series, which started off as his one-man hour-long show. He wrote the series during the COVID-19 lockdown and described the process as difficult and cathartic.
“I never wanted to kind of lie,” he said. “I always had to constantly check myself to be like, ‘Does this feel truthful to me to my experience all the way through?’ And if it didn’t, I would have to bring it back.”
He continued to explain that filming episode 4, which depicts scenes of his sexual assault by a writer he worked with, was difficult for the entire crew.
“We did close the set, but I was looking over and you’d see the props guys wiping tears from their eyes as they would be putting the props back how they should be,” Gadd said. “The show was based in such a trauma that everyone on set felt at times it was a huge, weighty thing. And it’s why I think everyone had such respect for everything. I was blessed with this amazing team who kind of felt it with me in a lot of ways.”
Gunning explained that Gadd works with We Are Survivors, a nonprofit organization that supports male and nonbinary sexual abuse, rape and sexual exploitation survivors across Greater Manchester. She said since the airing of the series, the organization had a 200% increase in people joining for support, with 60% citing “Baby Reindeer” as the reason why they got in touch.
She also said Gadd’s writing helped her tap in to her character Martha, who she describes as a “really complicated character.”
“It’s not an easy, buttoned-up story,” Gunning said. “Everything doesn’t get tied up at the end. I think it’s messy, like life is. Their dynamic is complicated and he’s really honest about that. That’s so refreshing to see. The response to it is shown that audiences are really hungry for that. Hungry for honest, messy storytelling.”
