Jessica Gunning's Latest Role Sounds Like It's A Million Miles Away From Martha In Baby Reindeer
Jessica Gunning has had quite the two months following the success of Baby Reindeer, and now she’s raring to get back to work.
The British actor received huge acclaim for her powerful performance playing a stalker in the Netflix streaming hit, which is based on the real experiences of its creator and star, Richard Gadd.
Baby Reindeer spent nearly one month at the top of Netflix UK’s TV rankings, and it’s even found celebrity fans in John Cena and Stephen King.
And while Jessica is still on the promo trail in the US for Baby Reindeer, she revealed in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter that a new film she’s in is already about to go into production.
“I don’t know if I can talk about it,” she said. “Cate Blanchett, who I did a play with, is producing it. It’s going to be announced soon. It’s a very light-hearted action comedy.”
Back in 2019, Jessica was cast in the play When We Have Sufficiently Tortured Each Other alongside the Oscar-winning actor, which ran at the National Theatre in London.
“I would go work for Cate Blanchett as a maid for the day in a film if I could. I’m a big fan,” shared Jessica. “Suddenly, she was doing this play and I got a part in it. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone work like she does.”
As for whether the Australian actor has seen Baby Reindeer, Jessica shared: “I think so, or she’s about to.
“She told me that her friends are texting her about it, asking, ‘Have you seen it yet?’ – which really makes me laugh.”
After the huge success of Baby Reindeer, Jessica returned to her role as community service supervisor Diane Pemberley in The Outlaws, which she also co-wrote an episode of alongside Stephen Merchant.
While Baby Reindeer has undoubtedly become a pop culture phenomenon this year, it’s also made headlines regarding concerns overwhether enough was done to protect the real identities of people who inspired characters in the series.
Jessica said it was a “real shame” that viewers were speculating on the characters’ real identities, adding that it shows they “haven’t watched the show properly”.
Earlier this month, a woman who alleges she inspired the “Martha” character brought a lawsuit against Netflix, accusing the company of “defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, gross negligence” and “violations of [her] right to privacy”.
Netflix has said they will “defend this matter vigorously” and reassert “Richard Gadd’s right to tell his story”.
