“Glad it didn’t happen”: Richard Gadd’s ‘Baby Reindeer’ Almost Starred an Oscar-nominated Actress as Martha and It Could Have Doomed the Show
Richard Gadd graced the screens of millions as Donny Dunn in the British black comedy series Baby Reindeer on Netflix. Besides starring as the protagonist of the series, Gadd has also served as the creator of the show. It received critical acclaim and has been performing well with the viewers.
The show also stars actor Jessica Gunning, who plays the role of Martha, a woman who becomes obsessed with Donny after a friendly encounter with him. However, the role almost went to the Oscar-nominated actress Melissa McCarthy if the reports are anything to go by, but fans have insisted that it is for the best that McCarthy did not get the role.
Richard Gadd’s Baby Reindeer Almost Starred Melissa McCarthy
Baby Reindeer, adapted from Gadd’s autobiographical one-man show, follows Donny Dunn (Gadd), a bartender in a London pub, who offers a drink to Martha (Jessica Gunning), a former lawyer with a criminal past, to cheer her up. Martha gets attached to Donny and begins stalking him both online and offline.
In the past, Donny had a mentor named Darrien O’Connor, a TV writer, who s*xually assaulted and r*ped the former during drug-induced blackouts until they lost contact. Back in the present, Donny reports Martha to the police and reluctantly agrees to get mentored by Darrien again.
The story of the show is as dark as it gets even though it has a dramatic and comedic effect to it. Gunning does a wonderful job of portraying the character of Martha. She has previously appeared in numerous shows such as The Outlaws and Back.
In a Variety article published almost a week ago, it was reported that Gadd’s former CAA agents and Netflix were adamant about casting two-time Academy Award-nominated actress Melissa McCarthy as Martha. A source has even claimed that Gadd met McCarthy, but she was not interested in the role.
Fans Believe Melissa McCarthy Might Not Have Been The Right Actor for the Role of Martha in Baby Reindeer
Melissa McCarthy‘s allegedly rejecting the role was probably for the best because even the fans agree that despite how good the Bridesmaids actress is at what she does, it might not have been the role for her. Here is what some of them had to say:
Fans are right to a certain extent because the role had to be portrayed by an actor who could embody the exact emotional depth and vulnerability that Gadd experienced since the show is inspired by his personal experiences, and as the creator, he must have known what he was looking for.
This is not to say that McCarthy would not have been able to do it, but it has to be noted that she is primarily known for her comedic roles which might not have aligned with the intense, dramatic, and deeply personal tone of the series.
Baby Reindeer is available for streaming on Netflix.
