Her portrayal of stalker Martha in Netflix hit Baby Reindeer has been lauded for its chilling similarity to the person it was supposedly based on.
But Jessica Gunning has insisted she knew nothing about the ‘real Martha’, Fiona Harvey, despite her convincing depiction of the Scottish lawyer – down to the intonations of her accent.
Ms Gunning, 38, said: ‘I absolutely saw Martha as a character, I wasn’t doing an impersonation of a real person. She was very clear to me in the script, but I genuinely didn’t know anything about the real person.
‘And I didn’t feel like we were re-enacting scenes for some documentary, it felt like we were doing interpretations of these characters in this emotionally true world.’
Despite her performance of stalker Martha being widely praised as chillingly similar to the source character, Jessica Gunning insists she never met the ‘real Martha’ Fiona Harvey
But the show has come under pressure for not doing enough to protect the identities of the people it was based on, as fans easily tracked down Ms Harvey, 58, on social media after the show aired.
Ms Gunning said writer and creator Richard Gadd ‘deliberately changed identities for a reason’. ‘But of course, in this day and age, it’s inevitable, especially with a show this big, that people are intrigued by who the real people are,’ she told Radio Times.
Gadd, who stars as himself, claims the series is based on his experience of being relentlessly stalked by a woman while he struggled to become a comedian.
Journalist Fiona Harvey was identified as the inspiration behind Richard Gadd’s character
Ms Harvey was identified as the inspiration for the character, which Gadd has not confirmed, after social media posts she made were used verbatim in the show.
Ms Harvey has admitted she is the real Martha but vehemently denies she stalked Gadd, attacked his girlfriend, destroyed the bar he worked in or harassed his parents as the series claims.
She has reportedly hired lawyers to sue Gadd, Netflix and production company Clerkenwell Films.
News
‘Prison Break’ Continues Streaming Dominance As ‘Fire Country’ Heats Up On Nielsen Charts
Prison Break; Fire Country Prison Break held a steady audience for the second consecutive week, raking in another 1.6B minutes viewed from August 12 to 18. That put it in first place on Nielsen‘s streaming charts, fueled by its return to Netflix in July. According to…
Kelly Clarkson Addresses Being Vulnerable After Heartbreak
Kelly Clarkson is giving a peek behind those hazel eyes. The American Idol alum recently opened up about why she’s able to connect with her guests and audiences as the host of her Emmy-winning talk show The Kelly Clarkson Show, which premieres its sixth…
Kelly Clarkson reacts to Carrie Underwood becoming ‘American Idol’ judge
Kelly Clarkson knows Carrie Underwood has been waiting for a moment like this. “The Kelly Clarkson Show” host — whose sixth season kicks off on NBC Sept. 23 — shared that she’s so excited for her fellow “American Idol” alum to join the competition…
‘American Idol’ Tries To Sign Up ‘Hawk Tuah Girl’ As She Brands Move ‘Dirty’
aliey Welch, otherwise known as ‘Hawk Tuah Girl’, has said that American Idol producers approached her to join the show, calling the move “dirty.” Welch became an online hit after she was asked a question in the street about her sex life…
Hailey Bieber pictured out for first time since giving birth as she has dinner date with pal Kylie Jenner while husband Justin stays home
New mom Hailey Bieber was seen out in Los Angeles this week for the first time since she gave birth to son Jack Blues Bieber two weeks ago. The 27-year-old model bared her long legs in a dark pair of shorts or a skirt, which was…
Amanda Rollins’ Law & Order: SVU Season 26 Role Is A Big Insult To Kelli Giddish
Amanda Rollins’ new role in Law & Order: SVU is an insult to the actress Kelli Giddish after the way she was written out. Rollins is one of the most popular characters in the long-running police procedural. After Giddish’s season 24 exit from Law…
End of content
No more pages to load