Her portrayal of stalker Martha in the Netflix hit Baby Reindeer has been praised for her eerie resemblance to the person she 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, right down to the intonation of her accent.
Gunning, 38, said: “I absolutely saw Martha as a character, she wasn’t impersonating a real person.” She was very clear to me in the script, but I didn’t really know anything about the real person.
“And it didn’t feel like we were recreating scenes from some documentary, it felt like we were doing interpretations of these characters in this emotionally true world.”
Even though her portrayal of stalker Martha was widely praised for being eerily similar to the original character, Jessica Gunning insists she never met the “real Martha” Fiona Harvey.
But the show has been under pressure for not doing enough to protect the identities of the people it was based on, as fans easily located Harvey, 58, on social media after the show aired.
Gunning said writer and creator Richard Gadd “deliberately changed identities for a reason.” “But of course, nowadays, it’s inevitable, especially with such a big show, that people are intrigued by who the real people are,” he told Radio Times.
Gadd, who plays himself, says the series is based on his experience of being relentlessly harassed by a woman while striving 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 posts she made on social media were used verbatim in the show.
Ms. Harvey has admitted that she is the real Martha, but vehemently denies stalking Gadd, attacking his girlfriend, destroying the bar she worked at, or harassing her parents as the series claims.
He reportedly hired lawyers to sue Gadd, Netflix and production company Clerkenwell Films.