Baby Reindeer star Richard Gadd opens up about "toxic empathy" after show success
Baby Reindeer creator and star Richard Gadd has opened up on feeling "toxic empathy" towards the real-life Martha.
The wildly popular Netflix series sees Gadd in the lead role of Donny Dunn, a failed comedian in London who finds himself at the centre of a stalking nightmare after giving Martha (Jessica Gunning) a free cup of tea when she enters the pub where he works.
The show has received rave reviews from critics and audiences alike, with many commending Gadd for opening up on his real-life experiences with stalking, sexual assault, and rape.
During a For Your Consideration (FYC) event for TV Academy members, Gadd has explained his feelings towards the woman who inspired Martha's character and his struggles with "toxic empathy" (per The Hollywood Reporter).
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"I remember when I was getting stalked, it was relentless and felt like it was everywhere, and I felt like my life wasn’t really functioning. I still had these unbelievable pangs of feeling sorry for her." he said.
Gadd said he saw the woman as someone in a lot of pain, adding: "I never saw someone who was a villain. I saw someone who was lost by the system, really. I saw someone who needed help and wasn’t getting it."
He also answered questions on the "huge process" of creating the seven-episode show, which also draws inspiration from his one-man stand-up show of the same name.
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"I had to go into a very obsessive place," he continued. "I did mad hours on it. My best writing hours are from 5 a.m. onwards, and I would always get up at 4.30 am and obsessively write almost until I went to bed the next day. It became a real obsession for me, and I just knew it was my chance.
"It just had to be as good as I could make it. I just didn’t want to ever look back and think I didn’t do enough. I probably went too far the other way, but I just had to give it everything."
Following the success of Baby Reindeer, Gadd is set to create a new six-part drama for the BBC.
The show, titled Lions, is set to follow the lives of two estranged brothers. Casting and a release date are yet to be announced.
Baby Reindeer is available to stream on Netflix.
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