'A woman screamed in my face': Jessica Gunning gets mistaken for her Baby Reindeer character
Jessica Gunning has recalled how a woman "screamed" in her face after mistaking her for the stalker she portrayed in the hit Netflix show Baby Reindeer.
Jessica Gunning has revealed that a woman "screamed" in her face after mistaking her for the stalker she played in Baby Reindeer.
The 39-year-old actress starred as Martha Scott in the hit Netflix series last year and recalled how a member of the public confused life for art in the aftermath.
Jessica told the BBC: "I'd just parked near where I live and a woman screamed in my face! But in her defence she had just finished the series, walked out of her home and there I was.
"So that's surreal, occasionally being screamed at.
"But everyone has been so lovely, there's also an incredible statistic about the difference the show has made to charities, especially ones for male survivors of sexual assault.
"I think it shows people want complicated stories. I have had 14-year-olds come and talk to me about it, as well as 90-year-olds."
Jessica won a host of awards on both sides of the Atlantic for her portrayal of Martha in Baby Reindeer and admits that the success "feels like a dream".
She said: "It's all been a bit pinch me, for all of the cast and crew really, we were out in LA, which is just crazy anyway to be in Hollywood. All the cliches are true, even to be nominated is an honour.
"Sometimes I look at the shelf that has my awards on and I think 'Oh my gosh', it feels like a dream really."
Gunning has been acting for nearly two decades but explained that the part alongside Richard Gadd in Baby Reindeer has been truly life-changing for her.
The Outlaws star said: "I feel like on the one hand my life has completely changed, but I also feel exactly the same in a good way.
"I feel like if something like Baby Reindeer happened straight after coming out of drama school, maybe I'd feel like a bit of a deer in the headlights, pardon the pun.
"Now I feel a lot more grounded and I've got a big group of family and friends. But it is kind of strange, the number of viewers that Netflix bring in, you can't really compute. If you think about it too much it can feel a little bit scary."
Jessica added: "I waited 17 years for a part like Martha to come along, so hopefully it won't be another 17 years."
