Richard Gadd Opens Up About 'Challenging' Baby Reindeer Lawsuit
Richard Gadd has said that the success of his series Baby Reindeer has brought with it its own set of “challenges”.
Most notably, the hit Netflix miniseries – based on Richard’s own experiences of being stalked – last year sparked legal action from a woman claiming she inspired the “Martha” character, and she is now suing the streaming platform of defamation for “intentional infliction of emotional distress”.
Netflix previously vowed to “defend this matter vigorously”, insisting they also stood by “Richard Gadd’s right to tell his story”, while the writer and actor has also insisted the show is “emotionally true” to his own life, and not intended to be a “a beat-for-beat recounting”.
Asked about the lawsuit during a new interview with The Guardian, Richard admitted: “There have been a lot of challenging moments. The show has reached such an extreme pitch – there have been times when I’ve felt like the pressure was intolerable. It’s been a hurricane.”
“I don’t think I’m at the point of reflection yet,” he continued. “I need some real time off to figure out how to get my feet back on ground, because I feel very squeezed.”
Speaking more generally about Baby Reindeer’s global success, he insisted: “Weirdly, I never wanted fame. I just liked the idea that, one day, I would make a piece of art that was culturally important, because then maybe I would learn to like myself.
“The biggest emotion that comes with fame is a sort of paranoia in public [...] there are people who want to ask you stuff in the worst kind of situations – having a meal and someone pulls up a chair. It can be really awkward.”
On Sunday night, Jessica Gunning won a TV Bafta for her portrayal of Martha in Baby Reindeer, having previously defended the show, maintaining that her colleague and friend “has every right to tell his side of this story in an artistic, emotionally truthful way”.
Richard is currently at work on his next project, a new series inspired by two life-long friends, which he will write and star in alongside British actor Jamie Bell.