Note: This interview discusses sexual assault, please proceed with care.
When we first meet Martha on the smash-hit new Netflix series Baby Reindeer, she’s seated alone on a barstool, seeming so abject and down on her luck that bartender protagonist Donny (Richard Gadd, also the show’s creator) offers her a cup of tea on the house. As if to prove the old “no good deed goes unpunished” maxim, Martha quickly develops an obsession with Donny, sending him thousands of emails and hundreds of hours’ worth of voicemails. it might seem easy to write her off as a garden-variety stalker, but actor Jessica Dunning portrays Martha with so much skill and pathos that the nature of her one-way bond with Donny ends up being achingly, exquisitely complicated.
Recently, Vogue spoke to Gunning about the show’s success, her 17-year acting career, the outsized impact that Baby Reindeer has had on male survivors of sexual assault, and why she doesn’t entirely see Martha as a villain.
What has it been like seeing Baby Reindeer come into the world and cause such a stir?
It’s been really unusual and unexpected. I thought it was something pretty special from the first moment I read the scripts, if I’m honest. I kept thinking, “If people watch this, I think they’ll be really interested by it,” because I was as soon as I read it. I was like, “What a fascinating story,” but I don’t think any of us expected it to be as big as it has become, which is incredible. I’m so incredibly proud to be part of it. You know, I’ve been working as an actor for about 17 years, and I always say I just feel lucky to be able to work. There were some people who I went to drama school with who don’t act now, so that’s very lucky on its own, but then to be part of a show that has been so well-received and talked about is really amazing. I feel very, very honored.
I’m curious about what kind of emotional preparation went into portraying a character as challenging and maybe polarizing as Martha.
I mean, I had a strong response to the character when I read the script for the first time. Usually when I audition for things, I just think “What will be will be, and if I’m right, I’m right,” but for Martha, I just was like “Oh my god, I know how to do this,” because I think the key to her is to try to emphasize all of her truthful moments. I mean, I don’t think she’s written as a villain in any way, but I think it could be potentially easy to play a side of her that is like that. And I think that would be a mistake because I think she’s too complex for that. There’s a cuteness to her that I was really drawn to immediately; even that scene outside the comedy club where she says, “I want to unzip people and climb inside them”—I always read that as actually quite romantic. A friend of mine was like, “It’s obviously terrifying.” I really connected to Martha emotionally as soon as I read the script. And then that was always my end. Really, I never saw her as a villain; I found a truth to her flaws in my own logic of the character, but also, I think the way that Richard wrote her was so complicated and nuanced. He tried to show as many sides to her as he could, and I think that really came through in the writing.
I’m sure filming was intense at times; how did you decompress or come back to yourself after going through that?
Finishing a job is always an intense time, because you’re going from getting there at five in the morning and not getting back until nine or ten and spending all your hours with all the crew and the cast as though you’re part of a family for five or six months, and then suddenly, it’s finished. It’s always so emotional to finish a job, but with this show especially, I just felt such a strong connection to Martha as a character. I like to kind of relax and see my family, though; I’ve got a little nephew that I just love spending time with. I spend time with friends and family to kind of keep me grounded and normal and back in that in the real world. I always roll my eyes slightly sometimes when actors say “It took me awhile to shake this character,” because I think, “Oh, come on.” (Laughs.) But with Martha and Donny, I really, really felt for them both and the whole story was so confusing, so it did take a while.
What’s been your favorite aspect of this whole experience?
I’ve loved talking to people about the show. I think that we’re really lucky as actors to sometimes do shows that are making such an impact. Richard was saying just the other day that he works with a charity over here in the UK called We Are Survivors, and since the show has come out, it’s seen a 200% increase in email referrals from male survivors of sexual assault. For 60% of those people, Baby Reindeer is the reason why they got in touch, and I just think “Wow, I get to be part of something that is changing people’s lives and making people feel seen and not alone anymore.” And I think that is so special, to be part of a show that’s doing that.
What’s next for you, dream-project-wise?
I’d like to do anything, really. Looking back on my career, I love that I’ve had the chance to do comedy roles and more dramatic roles. I love to kind of mix it up a little bit. I also love doing theater. I just like storytelling and being part of things so I’m not for anything really interesting characters. I mean, Martha was a gift of a character, really; I like really complicated people and stories that aren’t necessarily black-and-white or wrapped up with a bow at the end. That’s why I was so drawn to this show. I think it’s a bit messy and I think that’s really interesting, because life can be that way. I’m excited to see what’s next.
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