In the new Netflix series “Baby Reindeer,” viewers are drawn into the gripping story of Martha, a troubled woman who becomes fixated on a bartender/comedian named Donny. Created, written, and starring Richard Gadd (The man who actually lived through the experience), the series delves into themes of obsession, emotional turmoil, and self-discovery.
Richard Gadd’s Personal Journey
Richard Gadd’s path to creating “Baby Reindeer” was deeply personal. Initially debuting at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2019, as a one-man show, the show marked a turning point in Gadd’s career.
After years of perseverance, Gadd found himself catapulted into the spotlight, with Hollywood taking notice and Netflix offering him the opportunity to develop the series.
Throughout “Baby Reindeer,” Gadd weaves in autobiographical elements, including his journey to overcome feelings of shame regarding a past relationship.
With sensitivity and careful consideration, Gadd addresses themes of identity and acceptance, striving to present a nuanced portrayal while avoiding perpetuating harmful stereotypes.
Obviously I don’t want to bring any more negative conversation around a community of people who have enough conversation going on around ’em. I wanted to have the truth of the story, but I also wanted to get it right. So I was almost inundated with advisers.
“Baby Reindeer” is not Gadd’s first foray into autobiographical storytelling. His earlier show, “Monkey See Monkey Do,” back in 2016, explored similar themes of personal trauma and the various stigma surrounding masculinity.
The show centered about his sexual assault experience and how he dealt with feelings of shame and self-doubt. And is also seen on the Netflix Series.
If I’m being honest, I thought of myself as a man and I felt like that was taken from me, and I’m ashamed of that now. But I felt like that was the story I wanted and I needed to tell with this show because it was just the part of it that seemed to bother me more than anything.
Baby Reindeer
“Baby Reindeer” stands out for its nuanced portrayal he saw ‘Martha’ not as this evil stalker but as someone who was mentally unwell, vulnerable, and needed help. Something he has never seen in media before,
I hadn’t seen that on television before and I actually think that when I was going through it, I just felt like it was an important story to tell. That was important for people to understand.
The series offers a candid depiction of Donny’s relationships as well, including his romance with a trans woman, sensitively portrayed by Nava Mau.
How the show was portrayed needed a delicate balance, with all the sensitive themes being tackled – it had to be in a way that the art itself wasn’t compromised but they had to tackle those issues with respect.
We had all kinds of advisors – diversity advisors, trans advisors – to make sure that what we were doing was gonna be the right thing.
In the portrayal of Martha, Gadd found his ideal actor in Jessica Gunning. Despite facing pressure to cast more established names, Gadd stood by his choice, impressed by Gunning’s ability to capture Martha’s complex character. Gunning’s performance brings depth and authenticity to the role, earning praise from Gadd himself.
I fought for Jess against the tide, but then she came in one day and knocked everyone away. The one thing Jess got straight away was the fact that Martha was a bit cute and a bit odd and a bit empathetic and a bit weird. I felt like Jess believed the reality of Martha in a way, rather than playing the character.
Expressing Through Art
Despite the passage of time, Gadd admits that the emotional scars of his ordeal persist. The relentless ordeal of being stalked and other bits of trauma in his life leaves an indelible mark, shaping his perspective and artistic expression.
Before Baby Reindeer and even before Monkey See Monkey Do, he used to do comedy shows with wigs and props but eventually his experiences needed to be addressed by himself,
I couldn’t keep my life separate from what I’d been through anymore. It was becoming increasingly hard to play the frivolous funnyman when I’d been through these kinds of things. So I had no choice, really, but to conflate the two. Because I don’t think I could have really survived having repressed it, and carried on doing these one-liners and surface-level routines. It was almost a survival choice. Because I was struggling so much
Next Project
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Baby Reindeer is now streaming on Netflix and after 5 years of performing the show. Gadd says he is now ready to move on. BBC announced that he’ll be writing for ‘Lions’, a series in Glasgow that deals with the idea of masculinity and male repression.
those things that you learn when you’re young as men come to be corrupting forces when you’re older—being strong and masculine and not speaking your mind and problems.
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