There seemed to be an elephant in the room as the stars of Baby Reindeer made their first TV appearance since the revelation that the real-life Martha is suing Netflix. Richard Gadd and Jessica Gunning put on a united front as they spoke to Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show in the US last night (June 6). While both laughed and joked around and appeared in high spirits, neither mentioned the current legal crisis surrounding their TV drama, which has been watched by over 65million people worldwide.
Viewers may have noticed, though, that Gadd’s body language was rather hunched and he seemed to be of a nervous disposition, the weight of the world on his shoulders as his life story makes headlines around the globe and, potentially, enters courtrooms. Gadd – who portrays his own stalking ordeal in Baby Reindeer – and Gunning – who portrays perpetrator Martha – appeared on Fallon’s show just hours after reports surfaced that Fiona Harvey, on whom the character of Martha is based, is seeking monetary damages of at least $170,000,000 (£132,000,000) from the streaming giant. According to Variety , Harvey is alleging defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, and violations of her right to publicity.
The lawsuit alleges Netflix told ‘brutal lies’ about her in the mini-series, which opens with the statement: ‘This is a true story.’ In part, Harvey’s complaint refutes Netflix’s ‘lies’ of her being a ‘twice-convicted stalker who was .
