Richard Gadd, creator of Baby Reindeer, has recently discussed the true events that served as inspiration for his popular Netflix show. He disclosed that the stalking reached its peak during a specific time period.
Despite sharing his new insights before Piers Morgan’s interview with Fiona Harvey, the supposed “real Martha”from the show, Gadd has consistently stated that he did not want fans to speculate about the true identities of the characters.
In addition to restating these points during his conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, the creator and star of Baby Reindeer was also questioned about when he made the decision to write about his experience with being stalked.
“The stalking reached its peak when she obtained my phone number. Despite their constant calls, I refused to change my number as I felt it was their duty to stop contacting me,”responded Gadd.
Similarly to the television series, he went through the voicemails in the anticipation of uncovering any potential threats that could speed up the progress of the case.
Martha’s emails from Baby Reindeer. Every one of them real. pic.twitter.com/7jKVplc5vX
— Netflix (@netflix) April 13, 2024
“He described a strange experience where he would attend meetings in different locations and listen to them while traveling. Even after the meetings had ended, he would continue to wear his headphones. At night, he would try to sleep but could still hear the echoes of the voicemails in his head.”
The constant barrage of voicemails echoing in my mind was nearly unbearable. It made me realize that if I were to create a production about the sheer misery of this ordeal, my first step would be to project the voicemails onto the stage in a pulsating light show, with the words bouncing and swirling around.
“That was the origin of what eventually developed into Baby Reindeer.”
Despite the challenges of revisiting these moments, the most emotionally taxing scenes to film were those depicting the sexual assault and the perpetrator, portrayed as Darrien (Tom Goodman-Hill) in the Netflix series.
According to Gadd, filming the scenes with Darrien was the most challenging day on set. The experience of revisiting that place was incredibly difficult.
“I recall filming the diary and sexual assault scenes on consecutive days, as we wanted to minimize the time spent in that emotional zone. This approach proved to be effective as we were able to complete those scenes in just two or three days.”
“Whenever I was on my way to set during those days, I couldn’t help but wish for a major traffic jam or some other delay. It gave me an extra moment to mentally prepare and fully grasp the situation before filming.”
Tom Goodman-Hill as Darrien in Baby Reindeer
Gadd expressed his admiration for Goodman-Hill, describing him as a “legend”on set. He further elaborated, stating that he felt completely at ease and secure while working with him.
Shooting a scene that you know you have to do but don’t necessarily want to can feel strange. However, his professionalism and acting skills made the experience much more manageable. He was truly talented and made the process so much smoother.
To learn more about the Netflix series, we have an explanation of the ending of Baby Reindeer, along with suggestions for what to watch next in terms of TV shows and movies. We’ll also share our top picks for the best series of 2024 thus far.
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