Jessica Gunning opened up about her character Martha in the Netflix blockbuster series, Baby Reindeer, for which she won the 76th annual Primetime Emmy Award.
Speaking about preparing for Martha’s role, Gunning admitted that she thoroughly looked into iconic stalker characters such as Kathy Bates’ Annie Wilkes in 1990’s Misery.
The actress who took home Emmys for outstanding supporting actress in a limited or anthology series gushed over Richard Gadd’s writing, noting, "It was all really there in the script for me and I just connected with her. I never saw her as a villain.”
In a surprising confession about Martha, she added, “I saw her as a kind of a complicated, lonely character, as was Richard's character Donny. It was all there in the work. I was just very lucky to be able to play the part.”
Gunning further recalled being unable to keep the script down since she received it, "I read all the seven episodes in one go and I just kind of fell in love with the story and the writing and the character of Martha."
"When we were filming, I just was so proud of Richard [and] this story. And so when we made it, I think we just all thought it was gonna be this kind of indie slow-burning hit that people might watch,” she added.
Baby Reindeer follows Martha, a real-life stalker who goes to extreme lengths to stalk the aspiring comedian and bartender Donny – played by Gadd.
