‘Baby Reindeer’ Fame Jessica Gunning’s Emmy Win Proves Her 1 Risky Decision With the Controversial Character Was a Genius Choice
- Jessica Gunning wins Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series at Primetime Emmy Awards 2024.
- Gunning explained how she prepared to play Martha Scott.
- Richard Gadd wins Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series.
Netflix’s black-comedy drama miniseries Baby Reindeer, directed by Weronika Tofilska and Josephine Bornebusch, is one of the critically acclaimed shows. It stars Richard Gadd, Jessica Gunning, Nava Mau, and Tom Goodman-Hill, and is adapted from Gadd’s autobiographical one-man show.
Upon release back in April, Baby Reindeer debuted at Number 5 on Netflix’s Top 10 TV English titles with about 10.4 million viewing hours. The creator of the show clarified he didn’t want to write a victim narrative, but wanted to capture the human experience. Now, the lead actress has been rewarded for her hard work at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards.
Jessica Gunning reveals she used ‘limerence’ for her performance as Martha on Baby Reindeer
Actress Jessica Gunning portrayed the character of Martha Scott, a former lawyer with a criminal past, on Netflix’s Baby Reindeer. She was highly lauded for playing a complicated character like Martha on screen. The actress, in her interview with Glamour, mentioned that while portraying the character, she was focused on the individual story, adding she thought about the people who have gone through trauma and how a story bonds them.
The actress shared that she was fascinated by the concept of limerence and used it to flesh out her character’s initial feelings towards Donny, played by Richard Gadd. She said,
It’s an addiction to being obsessed and in love with somebody. I would imagine her going home and almost daydreaming about those connections they had and embellishing it potentially into more than it was. That’s how things can snowball.
Gunning, in her interview, was asked if she had reached out to any female stalkers or victims to prepare for Martha, to which she revealed that she did not speak to any such people to base her character. She added that she didn’t speak to any victims because it’s not a conventional black-and-white story. The actress pointed out that she felt like she had enough material and mileage in the script, along with Gadd playing the lead, which helped her;
There’s not really much prep you can do apart from getting all the clues you can from the script and the character that Richard created.
The actress also revealed that the streaming giant and the creator went to extreme lengths to try and make sure that the real-life identities of the characters on the show were kept private. She concluded that she just wanted to do the story justice and play Martha in a way that felt truthful. She also added that she felt extremely connected to the character and was moved by her.
Jessica Gunning wins Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Gunning was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie alongside Kali Reis, Lily Gladstone, Aja Naomi King, Diane Lane, and Dakota Fanning. She won her first Emmy for her exceptional performance as Martha.
The Baby Reindeer actress, during her acceptance speech, said to Richard Gadd,
I’ve tried so many times to put into words what working on Baby Reindeer meant; I fail every time—so I’m going to sing… No, imagine… I’ll keep it simple and just say thank you for trusting me to be your Martha. I will never, ever forget her, or you, or this. It really means a lot, so thank you, Reindeer, and thank you for this award.
She also went ahead and thanked Netflix and Clerkenwell Films, the directors, and the cast and crew of the show. In her interview with Radio Times back in May, the actress shared that she struggled to film high-intensity scenes in the show, adding that the body does not know sometimes that the person is pretending.
The actress told Glamour that according to her, Martha was never the villain. For Gunning, the story is not black and white. Instead, it’s just about finding the clues in the script about who she was as a character and playing her.
It can be said that Gunning’s gamble of not reaching out to any victims and letting their experience mold her character, helped her to carve her own Martha Scott for the audience. It also allowed her to keep the character original and fresh. Her risk of just basing the character on what she heard from Gadd and read in the script finally paid off.
The show won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited Series along with Richard Gadd winning Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series and Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series.
Baby Reindeer is available to stream on Netflix.
