Baby Reindeer’s creator and star Richard Gadd has said he is going through an “identity battle” that made him feel like he was “trapped” and admitted to suffering from “self-hate”
Baby Reindeer star Richard Gadd has said he struggled with “self-hate” amid an “identity battle” in his 20s. The writer and actor admitted he “felt so trapped” and couldn’t have a conversation without “crushingly negative” intrusive thoughts.
Gadd shot to fame in 2024 when his series Baby Reindeer hit Netflix. He wrote and starred in the award-winning drama, which followed his character, Donny, as he dealt with a stalker, Martha (Jessica Gunning).
The star is now set to appear in Half Man, which he also wrote, about step brothers Ruben (Gadd) and Niall (Jamie Bell), one of whom is violent and angry, while the other is sensitive and gentle.
READ MORE: Half Man ‘more shocking than Baby Reindeer’ as fans ‘obsess’ over BBC dramaREAD MORE: Baby Reindeer legend unrecognisable in ‘intense’ BBC drama that airs tonight
Talking about his own feelings to NME, Gadd explained that he had been struggling with an “identity battle” for years. He said: “The battle I had with myself was intolerable at times. It was like being in a prison. I felt so trapped inside of myself, I almost couldn’t have a conversation without real trickle-down intrusive thoughts that were just crushingly negative.”
He added that he felt the “self-hate” he was experiencing was “something that people struggle with a lot”. As such, he tends to write about the feeling, as he thinks it’s “something that should be honoured on screen” so that people realise “they’re not alone”.
Elsewhere in the article, he added that he does “believe in human beings” despite saying our society is “going through such a crisis”. He said that while it can feel like there is a “mass alienation of people”, he still believes in the power of “basic human decency”.
Gadd’s Baby Reindeer was created following a successful run of his stage show of the same name and draws on experiences Gadd had with a female fan.
It won six Emmy Awards, including one for Outstanding Writing for Gadd. The show also became a must-watch for true crime fans who tried to work out who Martha was based on. Eventually, London-based lawyer Fiona Harvey became the main person thought to be behind the character.
Fiona identifies herself as the woman who allegedly stalked Gadd while he was working in London. However, disputed the character’s depiction on the show, stating it was not accurate to what happened in real life. In June 2024, she brought a defamation lawsuit for $170million (£92milllion) against Netflix and the legal case is still ongoing.
Baby Reindeer stated it was a “true story”, but after Harvey filed her suit, Judge Gary Klausner ruled that billing the show as “true” was not accurate, allowing Harvey to sue. He ruled Martha’s behaviour in the show was significantly worse than what Harvey was accused to have done in real life.
Klausner said: “There is a major difference between stalking and being convicted of stalking in a court of law. Likewise, there are major differences between inappropriate touching and sexual assault, as well as between shoving and gouging another’s eyes.
“While plaintiff’s purported actions are reprehensible, Defendants’ statements are of a worse degree and could produce a different effect in the mind of a viewer.” As such, Harvey was allowed to pursue a legal case in court.
For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: mirror.co.uk
