Interview by Elisa Leonelli
September 16, 2024
Richard Gadd (c) GGF 2024
The miniseries Baby Reindeer received four Emmy Awards on Sunday, September 15, out of five nominations. Three for Richard Gadd as Best Actor, Screenwriter and Producer, one for Jessica Gunning as Best Supporting Actress. Also nominated was Nava Mau, Mexican trans actress.
On Saturday September 14, journalists from the Golden Globe Foundation interviewed Scottish actor and playwright Richard Gadd with British actress Jessica Gunning.
Jessica Gunning, Richard Gadd © GGF 2024
Q: How did you become a member of the We Are Survivors organization, that supports the victims of sexual violence and abuse?
Gadd: “In 2016, I wrote a comedy show called Monkey See Monkey Do about the sexual abuse I had suffered and I would then describe it in episode four of Baby Reindeer. Before that, I had kept this secret inside of me my whole life. I knew that art could serve as catharsis, but I had never tried to use it in an autobiographical sense. That’s when We Are Survivors contacted me to ask me to become their ambassador and help them raise funds. I have personally benefited from their services and can testify to the kind of support they provide.”
Q: What are the services offered to survivors?
“They offer a place where you can go and speak freely without being judged, because we feel a lot of shame when things like this happen to us, and the first thing you have to do is break your silence, in a safe, secure and private environment where you feel comfortable.”
Q: Until a few years ago, there was not so much talk about trauma, sexual abuse and mental health, but now many people accept to go to therapy to overcome these problems. What has changed?
“It is certainly no longer taboo to talk about these issues. If I think about my father’s generation, they kept everything inside, they didn’t talk about their feelings, I’ve never seen him cry. Sexual abuse is a crime that punishes the victim because it makes us feel guilty, even if it is not our fault. Fortunately, we now have at our disposal many social services and charities to break the isolation and receive assistance. The situation is rapidly improving.”
Q: What advice would you give to young people who like you struggle to overcome these feelings of guilt?
“It’s easier to say than to do it, but you have to accept that these negative emotions are temporary and will pass sooner or later, even if it will take a long time. During the years of struggling with my sexuality, growing up in a small village in Scotland, I was very critical of myself, and this added to my pain, but now I understand that I should have been more understanding and know how to forgive myself.”
Q: What techniques did you use to avoid stress?
“I would often throw myself into my job 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or obsessively engage in a hobby; I wanted to feel busy to distract myself, but
I then discovered that it was counterproductive. Instead, it’s better to spend time standing still and thinking about ourselves, doing pleasant activities, for self-preservation and to regain mental sanity.”
Richard Gadd © GGF 2024
Q: Do you think the Baby Reindeer series helped some viewers overcome these issues and accept their sexuality?
“It’s strange that such an idiosyncratic British show has become number one in countries like Qatar and Lebanon, where I probably wouldn’t even allow me to enter, and that it has 200 million viewers. We’ve had responses from a lot of people who have told us how the show has encouraged them to talk to their family about what happened to them. I find it extremely uplifting that Baby Reindeer has had such a positive impact in the world, and that many have cited it as the reason they have contacted We Are Survivors to ask for help.”