‘I cannot believe that any of this is happening to me.’
During her acceptance speech at last night’s Golden Globes, Jessica Gunning reiterated her disbelief at the pround impact Baby Reindeer has had on her life since the show stormed Netflix last April.
Stunning in an off-shoulder ruffled teal gown, Gunning, 38, looked worlds away from Martha – the stalker who tormented Richard Gadd’s Donny in the series – as she scooped the prize for Best Supporting Female Actor at the American award ceremony.
Standing on stage at the iconic Beverly Hills hotel in Los Angeles, Gunning repeated what she called the ‘soundtrack for my life’ since Baby Reindeer’s release catapulted her to international fame.
‘I cannot believe that any of this is happening to me,’ she repeated, reflecting on being a part of the series that jumpstarted her nearly 20-year career and gave her an all-access pass to the glitz and glamour of Tinseltown.
Her breakout role in Baby Reindeer has also turned the West Yorkshire-native into one-half of an EGOT winner, with Gunning previously winning the Primetime Emmy award for Outstanding Supporting Actress last September.
Her journey, however, has been far from smooth sailing; Gunning has previously admitted being out of work for ‘months or maybe even years’ before Baby Reindeer turned her into a household name.
‘If 16-year-old me were to see this, I don’t know if she would believe it, really,’ she told Radio Times last September, while basking in the success of Baby Reindeer.
Jessica Gunning, 38, took home the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her chilling performance as Martha in Netflix’s smash-hit Baby Reindeer
Gunning’s past credits have seen her carve out a successful career as a comedy actress – pictured in Trollied on Sky
Gunning as Kath Morgan in ITV’s Prime Suspect 1973 which came out in 2017
Created by the Scottish comedian, who also triumphed at the Golden Globes, Baby Reindeer follows the ordeal of struggling comedian Donny Dunn (played by Gadd) after he becomes the unwilling object of Martha (Gunning) obsessive affections
Before she was recruited to play Martha, Gunning’s CV read mostly as a collection of cameos in British TV shows, theatre performances, and self-published standup comedy clips on YouTube.
Born on New Year’s Day in Holmfirth, Gunning fell in love with acting at a young age when she snuck into rehearsals for school plays, which were run by her mother.
The Mirror reported she was so tremendously ‘in awe’ of what she saw on stage, pushed her to pursue a career in the performing arts.
After leaving school in Holmfirth, Gunning moved down to Sidcup in Bexley, south east London, where she studied at Rose Bruford drama school – an institution also attended by the likes of Stephen Graham and Gary Oldman.
When she left drama school, Gunning began her career onstage and won a small role in Much Ado About Nothing at the National Theatre.
Her first ever on-screen appearance also came in 2007 when she made her TV debut in the BBC Three comedy show It’s Adam and Shelley, before appearing alongide David Tennant and Catherine Tate in Doctor Who for the 2008 episode Partners in Crime.
She also appeared on 20 episodes of Holby City as well as working on shows such as Law & Order, Back, Fortitude, Prime Suspect and White Heat.
She was later cast in the 2014 film Pride, a comedy/drama set in a Welsh mining town in which LGBT activists from London team up with miners in the village to protest against Margaret Thatcher’s government.
Gunning previously scooped the Primetime Emmy for Best Supporting Actress for her breakout role in Baby Reindeer
Baby Reindeer leads, Gunning and Gadd hold up their Emmy awards
Stunning in an off-shoulder teal gown, Gunning, 38, looked worlds away from Martha – the stalker who tormented Richard Gadd’s Donny in the series – at last night’s Golden Globes award ceremony in Los Angeles
Before she was approached by Gadd with what she has previously called ‘the role of a lifetime’, Gunning’s biggest credits included the sitcom Trollied and Stephen Merchant’s critically-acclaimed comedy The Outlaws where she played a former juvenile delinquent Diane Pemberley.
As well as her work on screen, Gunning performed on stage alongside Cate Blanchett in When We Have Sufficiently Tortured Each Other at London’s National Theatre in 2019.
There was a period of crossover between the Baby Reindeer and the third series of the Outlaws as Gunning was in the writers’ room, something she has previously said she’s keen to do more of.
Created by the Scottish comedian, who also triumphed at the Golden Globes, Baby Reindeer follows the ordeal of struggling comedian Donny Dunn (played by Gadd) after he becomes the unwilling object of Martha’s obsessive affections.
Gadd previously revealed Gunning was the frontrunner to play Martha, who is based on a real person who stalked him for four years.
In an interview with Lorraine Kelly, he told his co-star: ‘I always thought that, every role you did, you brought this amazing nuance to it. Always elevated everything you were in, I always thought.’
Gadd previously revealed Gunning was the frontrunner to play Martha, who is based on a real person who stalked him for four years.
He has described the real-life Martha as a complex character who was ‘unwell and needed help’, meaning the actress who eventually played her had some difficult lines to tread – but in his words, Gunning did an ‘amazing job’.
While the show gave Gunning’s career a mighty push, the actress has previously admitted she doesn’t ‘think of Baby Reindeer as a springboard for anything’
Gunning as Martha opposite Gadd’s Donny Dunn in Netflix’s smash hit Baby Reindeer that was released to widespread critical acclaim in 2024
Netflix viewers wholeheartedly agreed with Gadd and, when the streamer released Gunning’s sensational audition for Martha’s role, predicted she would need a ‘big trophy case’ for all the awards that would follow.
in the video, Gunning was asked to read Martha’s lines during the cafe scene in episode one of Baby Reindeer – and social media users couldn’t believe her chilling on-screen transformation into the complicated character.
Reacting to the clip shared on X, formerly Twitter, one user wrote: ‘Watching Jessica Gunning’s audition tape for Martha in #BabyReindeer was a revelation! Her transformation into the character is a masterclass in acting.’
One prophetic comment noted: ‘I hope she has a big trophy case at home, she’s gonna need it.’
Since Baby Reindeer was released, Gunning has already claimed the Emmy and Golden Globe awards in the Supporting Actress category – distinctions that mean she’s now high up on the wishlists of Hollywood producers and writers.
Now settled among the ranks of Hollywood’s A-list, Gunning’s next project will see her join forces with Claire Foy and Andrew Garfield in an adaptation of Enid Blyton’s book series The Magic Faraway Tree.
There is no official release date for the film but it is expected to be 2025 at the earliest.
While the show gave Gunning’s career a mighty push, the actress has previously admitted she doesn’t ‘think of Baby Reindeer as a springboard for anything’.
Elsewhere Gunning starred alongside Imelda Staunton in 2014 film Pride, about the LGBT community joining forces with miners in Wales
She told the BBC: ‘I just feel genuinely so proud to be part of it and I’m so proud that so many people are having such a response to it.’
As she embarks on the next chapter of her career, which began in southeast London and led her to Tinseltown, Gunning told Vogue she’s open to anything.
‘Looking back on my career, I love that I’ve had the chance to do comedy roles and more dramatic roles. I love to kind of mix it up a little bit,’ she told the fashion publication.
She noted her affection for ‘complicated people and stories’, adding: ‘That’s why I was so drawn to this show. I think it’s a bit messy and I think that’s really interesting, because life can be that way.
‘I’m excited to see what’s next.’
