Jessica Gunning’s career reached a fever pitch in 2024, catapulting her to stardom thanks to the gripping Netflix series Baby Reindeer.
Gunning delivered a haunting performance as Martha, a troubled woman whose unraveling is both disturbing and deeply compelling.
The role, which she described as a “dream,” left her feeling “surreal” in the wake of the show’s massive success.
“I got goose bumps when I first read the script,” Gunning shared, adding that she endured five auditions before landing the part.
Initially, she anticipated Baby Reindeer might find a niche audience, but it quickly became a cultural phenomenon.
The show’s popularity, however, has come with a peculiar side effect: being recognized—and sometimes accosted—by strangers who mistake her for her character.
“I’d just parked near where I live and a woman screamed in my face!” she recounted. “But in her defence she had just finished the series, walked out of her home and there I was. So that’s surreal, occasionally being screamed at.”
Despite the occasional startling encounter, Gunning emphasized the overwhelmingly positive response and the show’s unexpected impact. “Everyone has been so lovely,” she said, noting the significant increase in donations to charities supporting male survivors of sexual assault.
“I think it shows people want complicated stories. I have had 14-year-olds come and talk to me about it, as well as 90-year-olds.”
Getty ImagesBaby Reindeer is a difficult and often upsetting watch, based on the real-life experiences of creator Richard Gadd, who also stars as a fictionalized version of himself.
However, the show’s depiction of events has been contested by the woman on whom the character of Martha is allegedly based. She alleges Netflix presented “brutal lies” to over 50 million viewers.
In June 2024, she initiated legal action, suing Netflix for defamation, negligence, and privacy violations.
While the show is billed as a “true story,” a judge ruled in September 2024 that key events portrayed in the series, including a stalking conviction, did not occur in reality.
Netflix failed in its attempt to have the case dismissed, but stated its intention to “defend this matter vigorously and to stand by Richard Gadd’s right to tell his story.”
‘It’s All Been a Bit Pinch Me’
The intensity of filming Baby Reindeer fostered a “unique bond” between Gadd and Gunning, who consistently checked in with each other. Producers and the director prioritized a safe and considerate environment on set.
The series originated as a stage play at the Edinburgh Fringe, which Gunning attempted to see but couldn’t secure tickets for, prompting her to purchase the script instead.
“That was a little bit Martha of me,” she quipped.
Her persistence paid off, and Gunning enjoyed a remarkable awards season, winning an Emmy, a Bafta, a Golden Globe, an RTS award, and a Screen Actors Guild award.
“It’s all been a bit pinch me, for all of the cast and crew really, we were out in LA, which is just crazy anyway to be in Hollywood. All the clichés are true, even to be nominated is an honour.”
“Sometimes I look at the shelf that has my awards on and I think ‘Oh my gosh’, it feels like a dream really.”
Gunning has worked in the industry for nearly two decades, but Baby Reindeer has proven transformative.
“I feel like on the one hand my life has completely changed, but I also feel exactly the same in a good way.”
“I feel like if something like Baby Reindeer happened straight after coming out of drama school, maybe I’d feel like a bit of a deer in the headlights, pardon the pun. Now I feel a lot more grounded and I’ve got a big group of family and friends. But it is kind of strange, the number of viewers that Netflix bring in, you can’t really compute. If you think about it too much it can feel a little bit scary.”
She recognizes the significance of the role, stating, “I waited 17 years for a part like Martha to come along, so hopefully it won’t be another 17 years.”
Getty ImagesGunning’s next project is an animated special, Pudsey and the Thread of Hope, airing on BBC One and iPlayer on Christmas Eve.
The animation is based on an original story by Tom Fletcher, of McFly and composer for the Paddington musical, who also wrote the music.
Gunning portrays a woman grappling with grief over her husband, while her son navigates his own sorrow.
A departure from the intensity of Baby Reindeer, Gunning said the script was “beautiful” and she wanted to contribute to the “special charity.”
“Children can deal with big issues like this, and hopefully children will watch and feel seen if they’ve experienced this, or are going through something similar.”
“All my life I’ve grown up with Children In Need, I went to school dressed up as an Emu and wore it all day.”
Looking ahead, Gunning is set to appear alongside Claire Foy and Andrew Garfield in a film adaptation of Enid Blyton’s The Magic Faraway Tree, and is currently filming a comedy with Angelina Jolie.
The actress, originally from Holmfirth, West Yorkshire—the setting for the classic BBC sitcom Last of the Summer Wine—joked, “It’s Holmfirth to Hollywood.”
Pudsey and the Thread of Hope airs on 24 December at 10:20 GMT on BBC One and iPlayer, and on 27 December at 17:00 GMT on CBeebies and CBBC.
