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'Fourth Year Of being Stalked': Richard Gadd Reveals About Real-Life Stalker Experience Amid Upcoming Film Baby Reindeer
Baby Reindeer, Netflix's upcoming series, based on Richard Gadd's real-life experience with a stalker, explores mental trauma. Read ahead to know more details
Netflix's new series, Baby Reindeer, is coming soon on April 11th. It stars Richard Gadd, a famous comedian and actor, playing a character named Donny Dunn. But is the movie based on real-life events? Here's what Richard says.
Richard Gadd reveals real-life incident of stalking behind the upcoming Baby Reindeer
This drama is based on Richard's own life experiences with a stalker named Martha. For years, Martha relentlessly pursued him, sending thousands of messages and voicemails, leaving him scared and frustrated. Even though she technically didn't break any laws, her actions made Richard's life a nightmare.
The synopsis of Baby Reindeer read, “Baby Reindeer follows struggling comedian Donny Dunn’s warped relationship with his female stalker and the impact it has on him as he is ultimately forced to face a deeply buried trauma.”
In the show, Donny Dunn, based on Richard himself, struggles with his stalker Martha and how it affects him deeply. Richard wrote an essay for Netflix, explaining how Martha's stalking tormented him. He detailed his experience writing, “Sometimes in the pit of despair, inspiration emerges. I was now in the fourth year of being stalked, by a woman, whose only skill greater than her ability to harass was her ability to evade the law."
"She had somehow just obtained my mobile number and I was at the peak of my career at that point, having just returned from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival where I had won the Edinburgh Comedy Award for Monkey See Monkey Do. A show which tackled the sexual abuse I suffered when I first got into the industry. It was a big moment for me. Coming clean with what happened after so many years of suffering in silence," said Richard.
“But any good feeling in the Fringe’s aftermath was tempered by my phone ringing every single minute of every day where I was met with a whole gamut of Martha’s emotions from hurled insults to deep expressions of love and longing. It was too much for anyone to bear,” Richard continued.
Richard hoped that Martha would say something incriminating in his voicemails so he could get a restraining order against her. Eventually, he decided to turn his ordeal into a stage performance, which premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2019. The show received critical acclaim, winning awards for its excellence in acting and storytelling.
He further added, "I would be lying if I said I was not back exactly where I was all those years ago in 2019 at the Edinburgh Fringe. Fearing the worst. Praying for the best. Hoping that in amongst all the messy, complicated, [expletive] up, themes Baby Reindeer throws at you that people might take notice of its beating heart.”
Bringing his story to Netflix, Richard hopes that Baby Reindeer will resonate with people, shedding light on the complex and messy themes it explores. He acknowledges that his relationship with Martha was complicated, and he doesn't see himself solely as a victim.
Baby Reeinder is slated for release on April 11, 2024, on Netflix.
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