Richard Gadd has reflected on some of his more difficult days on the set of Baby Reindeer.
The hit Netflix miniseries is inspired by its creator’s real-life experiences of stalking and sexual abuse, while also exploring themes like mental health and gender identity.
Because the show was so rooted in his own trauma, Richard has admitted that it made for some hard days on set, naming the shooting of his character’s sexual assault as one such example.
Asked about his “hardest day on set”, he told The Hollywood Reporter: “It was really difficult going back there. I remember going to set for the diary days, the sexual assault days, and we sandwiched them together so it wasn’t so spread out.
“I think it was the right thing to do, so that it would only be two or three days where we had to stay in that zone.”
Richard admitted: “On the way to set those days, I would be hoping for a major traffic jam or something so I could just have another beat to prepare and wrap my head around it to think.”
“The actor who plays Darrien, Tom Goodman-Hill, what a legend. I felt really safe with him, really comfortable,” he added.
“It’s weird to shoot a scene that you know you have to shoot but don’t really want to. He was such a pro, such a good actor that he made it so much easier.”
Meanwhile, Richard recently spoke about how these scenes would often move crew members to tears while they were being filmed.
Baby Reindeer was met with a hugely positive reaction from critics, and has not budged from the top spot on Netflix’s list of its most-watched shows in a number of weeks.
However, more recently, conversations have been raised about whether enough was done to conceal the identities of the real-life people who inspired characters in the show.
For his part, Richard has repeatedly spoken out against internet “sleuths” trying to decipher the real people behind the show, as has his co-star Jessica Gunning, who plays stalker Martha in Baby Reindeer.