Jessica Gunning (‘Baby Reindeer’) is coming for that Emmy
“Baby Reindeer” has taken Netflix by storm. Richard Gadd stars in this adaptation of his Olivier Award-winning play about becoming the victim of a stalker. His writing remains smart and sharp but what makes the show so good are his performance and that of Jessica Gunning as Martha. She delivers a tour-de-force, in turn threatening, pitiful, and stomach-churning.
Stephen King likened her performance to that of Kathy Bates in the film version of his bestselling thriller “Misery.” And critics concur.
Imogen West-Knights (Slate) observed: “What has stayed with me after the credits rolled is how ‘Baby Reindeer’ treats Martha herself. She is played by the staggeringly good English actress Jessica Gunning. She’s perfect for the role, with such a lovable baby face that you can understand how Donny could fail to find her threatening enough to immediately distance himself—even when she says things like, for instance, that she wants to unzip people and wear them as coats.”
David Opie (Empire) cautioned: “But don’t overlook Gunning, whose powerhouse performance as Martha will break your heart one minute and threaten to break your legs the next.”
Rebecca Nicholson (The Guardian) noted: “Martha is rendered real, with a knockout performance from Jessica Gunning, who manages to convey everything from pity to heartbreak to vicious and violent malice, often with a barely perceptible adjustment of her expression. It is not an easy role and she is truly fantastic in it.”
W are predicting that Gunning will earn her first-ever Emmy nomination — for Best TV Movie/Limited Series Supporting Actress alongside Jennifer Jason Leigh (“Fargo”), Kali Reis (“True Detective: Night Country”), Aja Naomi King (“Lessons in Chemistry”), Sandra Oh (“The Sympathizer”), and “Feud: Capote vs the Swans” duo Diane Lane and Chloë Sevigny.
You might think that Gunning would contend in the lead actress category considering her screen time, but this positioning make a lot of sense.
Voters like colorful villains in this category with recent nominees including Kathryn Hahn (“WandaVision”), Judy Davis (“Feud: Bette and Joan”), Kathy Bates (“American Horror Story: Hotel”), Bates (“American Horror Story: Coven”), and Jessica Lange (“American Horror Story: Murder House”).
This is a limited series based on a true story. Plenty of actresses have earned bids in this category for those types of shows, including “Welcome to Chippendales” duo Annaleigh Ashford and Juliette Lewis, Niecy Nash-Betts (“Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”), “Dopesick” pair Katlyn Dever and Mare Winningham, and “Hamilton” actresses Renée Elise Goldsberry and Phillipa Soo.
And she is a breakout star. It’s her performance that has got the entire world talking and voters will appreciate that. Previously nominees that were at the center of their shows include Jennifer Coolidge (“The White Lotus”), Laura Dern (“Big Little Lies”), Regina King (“American Crime”), Sarah Paulson (“American Horror Story: Asylum”), and Lange (“American Horror Story: Murder House”).
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