'I never wanted to play Martha as a villain – she's nuanced'
Jessica Gunning is nominated for Supporting Actress for Baby Reindeer
- Laura Rutkowski
Add the Bafta Television Awards and Baby Reindeer to your watchlist
Ad
It’s been a little over a year since drama Baby Reindeer was released on Netflix, and actor Jessica Gunning has been riding the wave of its success. She’s picked up an Emmy, Golden Globe, SAG Award and Royal Television Society Programme Award for her portrayal of stalker Martha Scott. Now she could be adding a Bafta to that already groaning shelf.
Gunning is smiley and giggly and uses the word “special” a lot to describe her involvement in Baby Reindeer – with good reason. It has been seen by 252 million viewers, making it one of the most-watched Netflix shows of all time. It came out of nowhere, based on Richard Gadd’s one-man play of the same name from 2019, and then suddenly, it was all anyone was talking about.
Jessica Gunning. Rachel Louise Brown / Radio Times
So, it might seem like Gunning is an overnight success, but she has been working for the better part of 18 years. The 38-year-old from Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, has appeared in David Mitchell and Robert Webb’s Back, the film Pride and Stephen Merchant’s The Outlaws, where she was also in the writers’ room.
She used to give talks at her drama school, Rose Bruford College in London, to third-year students. “I’d tell them, ‘Think about the actors who you admire – they didn’t necessarily graduate from drama school and work straight away. The things you love them in are probably things they did in their 30s or 40s. These things do take time.’
I never wanted to play Martha as a villain – she’s nuanced
“It took 17 years for the part of Martha to come around,” she continues. It’s one of several answers she starts with, “I’ve said previously,” which is understandable, as she’s been interviewed about Baby Reindeer a lot. Although not all coverage since its release has been positive. Fiona Harvey, who claims to be the real Martha, has filed a $170 million defamation lawsuit against Netflix in the US, with a court date set for 6 May.
Jessica Gunning as Martha in Baby Reindeer. Netflix
Did Gunning ever consider “the real Martha”? “As soon as I read the scripts, I was just playing a character. I never would have wanted to play Martha as a villain or a baddie, because I never saw her in that way. She’s multi-faceted and nuanced.”
Her next project is Simon Farnaby’s film adaptation of Enid Blyton’s The Magic Faraway Tree, where she’ll be working with fellow Bafta nominee Nicola Coughlan, plus Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy. Gunning’s rising star power is impossible to ignore, despite her desire to keep a low profile.
“I’m not on social media and I’ve never felt the pressure to join. I don’t see myself as a celebrity and I don’t think actors need to be in the public eye. Sometimes you can just do your job and that’s that. I think there is a fascination with actors – I have it, too – where people want to know more about them. Somebody said the other day that people look at how many followers actors have in order to give them parts. I’m buggered if that’s true!”
Ad
It feels unlikely that Gunning’s reluctance to join Instagram will impact her career trajectory – her life has undeniably changed for ever. “It’s been amazing to be a part of something that’s felt really special.” There’s that word again, and perhaps it’s really the only one that will do.
Authors
Laura RutkowskiCommissioning Editor
Laura Rutkowski is a Commissioning Editor at Radio Times magazine, where she looks after the View From My Sofa slot, and the "What it's like to…" column, which spotlights behind-the-scenes roles within the TV and film industry. She loves finding out how productions are made and enjoys covering a wide variety of genres. Laura is half-American and half-British and joined Radio Times in 2022. She has a degree in Psychology and a Master's in Magazine Journalism.
Ad
Ad
Get the Christmas double issue
Too much to watch at Christmas? Let Radio Times do the choosing to find something the whole family will enjoy.
Loading...
Ad
Loading...