Netflix's "Baby Reindeer" hits 90M views, star faces unexpected career dip

Over 90 million people have watched "Baby Reindeer" on Netflix. Jessica Gunning, who played the stalker Martha, has shared her unexpectedly stagnant career after her success.

"Baby Reindeer" became a hit this spring. The true story of actor and comedian Richard Gadd captivated audiences worldwide. For about four years, he was harassed by a woman, receiving over 41,000 emails from her, numerous social media messages, and 106 pages of letters. The total number of voicemails amounted to 350. Millions watched the series and followed subsequent developments when the real Martha, Fiona Harvey, appeared in the media, demanding massive compensation from Netflix.

In a recent interview, Jessica Gunning jokingly commented on the lack of job offers following her sudden popularity. Despite the series' success, Gunning doesn’t receive as many advantageous offers as her co-star Richard Gadd.

Richard Gadd, the creator and star of "Baby Reindeer," gained significant fame due to Netflix's platform, reportedly receiving almost a million pounds for an exclusive collaboration on new projects. Meanwhile, Gunning jokes that her job offers are limited to participating in a show where stars swim with sharks and playing a role in the Australian production "Peter Pan."

On the podcast "Perfect Day With Jessica Knappett," Gunning shared her thoughts on the unexpected success. Despite a lengthy acting career, the success of "Baby Reindeer" surprised her. She emphasized that if this had happened a decade earlier, it could have overwhelmed her. Now, she mainly feels proud of the vast number of people who watched the series.

On the other hand, for Richard Gadd, "Baby Reindeer" opened new career opportunities. He already has another project for HBO, a series titled "Lions," set in Glasgow over nearly 40 years, with production starting in 2025.

Fiona Harvey, who claims Martha’s character is based on her, demands 135 million pounds in compensation from Netflix for alleged defamation. She asserts that her life became a nightmare after the series premiere, and now she fears leaving her house. It’s important to note that the creators of "Baby Reindeer" changed many details about the stalker's character to prevent anyone from tracing her identity.

In an interview with WP, the show's co-creator Weronika Tofilska mentioned their caution during production: "While creating the series, we were very cautious, as this woman is still alive. We would never want anyone to find and identify this person. We wanted to separate the series Martha from the real woman. We didn’t want to interfere with her life in any way. Richard was the only link to the real materials from the case. Based on them, he wrote the script. I know that what’s in the series is a very realistic representation of his communication with the stalker," she said.

Netflix declares it will defend itself against the charges, emphasizing that the series is based on Gadd’s true story. Will there be a trial? According to Deadline, the decision on whether proceedings will commence or the lawsuit will be dismissed will be made on September 3, 2023.