Jessica Gunning is having a moment. The veteran actress has earned rave reviews for playing unhinged stalker Martha in Netflix’s critically acclaimed . It’s a part she’s embracing as the role of a lifetime, yet the West Yorkshire native, 38, has been acting ever since graduating from drama school at London’s Rose Bruford College.
Her long list of credits includes , , and . was created and written by Richard Gadd, inspired by his real-life experiences, and he stars as Donny Dunn, a struggling comedian who encounters a lonely woman at the bar where he works. The chance encounter, during which he offers her a free cup of tea, spirals over several months as Martha is revealed to be a dangerous serial stalker.
Gunning recently stopped by ’s Los Angeles office for an interview about what it took to land the plum part, the emotional connection she maintains with Gadd and why she has ignored all of the brouhaha surrounding the real-life identities of Gadd’s characters. Yeah, about 16 years. I’d seen Richard’s [stage show] , which was so powerful.
I kept thinking about it for days. It’s the show that he did based on the events that happen in episode four. During the play, he’s running on a treadmill throughout the entire thing, and I remember thinking, “God, what a brave guy and an amazing storyteller.
” When I heard about the next show he did, I tried to get tickets, but it was sold out. I actually bought the play text and found it to be such an amazing story.
