Melissa McCarthy Was Almost Cast as Martha in ‘Baby Reindeer’ — Report
“Baby Reindeer” almost had a very different cast.
In a recent Variety report, a source claims that series creator/writer/star Richard Gadd’s CAA agents “pushed aggressively” for Melissa McCarthy to be cast as stalker Martha in the Netflix show that is billed as being “based on a true story.”
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Per Variety, “A knowledgeable source says McCarthy met Gadd about the role but ultimately wasn’t interested. […] Those familiar with the production say Gadd micromanaged casting and fired his CAA agents after they and Netflix pushed aggressively for Melissa McCarthy to be cast as Martha.”
Jessica Gunning was later cast in the role.
The casting news comes as part of accusations lodged against Gadd alleging he manipulated his creative control to prey on potential love interests. “Baby Reindeer” production company Clerkenwell Films investigated and cleared Gadd of wrongdoing after the circulation of an actress’ claims on social media that Gadd implied she would receive a role if she dated him. Clerkenwell Films stated that Gadd did not have final say in casting decisions.
The casting claims are not the only controversies swirling around the hit series. The real-life Martha, Fiona Harvey, filed a $170 million lawsuit against Netflix. Harvey alleged that the series falsely presented her as a sexual predator and a twice-convicted stalker who was sentenced to five years in prison.
“As a result of [Netflix’s] lies, malfeasance and utterly reckless misconduct, Harvey’s life had been ruined,” the suit claims. “Simply, Netflix and Gadd destroyed her reputation, her character and her life.”
Netflix has stated that “Baby Reindeer” creator Gadd has a “right to tell his story.” The series is an adaptation of Gadd’s one-man stage show of the same name.
“We intend to defend this matter vigorously and to stand by Richard Gadd’s right to tell his story,” a Netflix spokesperson told IndieWire.
The show’s end credits include a disclaimer reading, “This program is based on real events: however certain characters, names, incidents, locations, and dialogue have been fictionalized for dramatic purposes.”
Actress Gunning told the Los Angeles Times that portraying Martha was a “nuanced” task given the “love story” at the center of the series.
“I really thought, if this gets into the wrong hands and it ever gets played by an actress who sees her as scary, or plays a kind of crazy version of a stalker, I think you’d absolutely ruin what is such nuanced, careful, delicate storytelling,” Gunning said. “I think she felt like she was slightly magic with him. It’s kind of an unconventional, unrequited love story from Martha’s point of view, so that’s the way I approached it. I never saw it as a kind of stalker-victim story. You can’t ever play someone with bad intentions. I don’t think she intended ever to be scary, even if she was received that way.”
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