'Baby Reindeer' Actor Nava Mau Talks Netflix Thriller's Success

Nearly a month after Baby Reindeer debuted to rave reviews and positive ratings, Nava Mau still trying to understand his success.

I was overwhelmed by the large number of responses from people, the actor told HuffPost. It's amazing that people are engaging with the story in their own language and in their own way. It’s everything you can hope for as an artist.

As Mau suggests, few recent series have generated as much feverish speech among viewers like Baby Reindeer, revealed on Netflix on April 11. The psychological thriller follows young London comedian and bartender Donny Dunn (played by Richard Gadd), who becomes an object of infatuation for a middle-aged and socially inept woman, Martha (Jessica Gunning).

Over the course of the series' seven episodes, Martha's seemingly playful crush on Donny turns into full-blown stalking, both at her workplace and at her home. Donny's only comfort is his girlfriend, Teri (Mau), who is transgender.

Much of the buzz about Baby Reindeer has focused on how Martha's unhinged and increasingly violent behavior ultimately forces Donny to confront his own unresolved trauma, which stems from being a victim of sexual assault . The series is an adaptation of Gadds solo playwhich was vaguely and maybe controversially based on his real-life experiences with a stalker in his early twenties.

At the same time, Baby Reindeer also presents a rarity on mainstream television in its nuanced portrayal of the relationship between Donny and Teri, who is the show's most empathetic figure and moral compass. Gadd, who is bisexual in real life, confirmed that the woman who inspired Teri's character was actually transgender.

It was like the first time I read a character that felt like it was written by someone who actually knew and loved a trans woman, so I fell in love with her too, Mau said. I don't think that means she has it all figured out. I don't think that means she always makes the best decisions. But at least she loves herself enough to allow herself to jump and fall, because she knows she can get back up immediately.

There is still a point of contention among some viewers is whether Baby Reindeer depicts Donny's attraction to Teri as possible. being the result of her experience of sexual abuse by another man. A rather positive point The NPR review is well-argued that the series repeatedly and clumsily confuses the horror of abuse with the simple fact of queer sexuality.

Mau, for his part, offers a different vision.

The story told about Teri and Donny's relationship is based on a truthfulness that's rare to see on screen, she said. I think there’s real power in that.

She added: It's no surprise that there are so many cisgender men in the world who don't know how to deal with the shame and stigma that has been placed on trans people and those who love us. There is no manual, and often there is no support, there is no understanding. We were all discovering it along the way.

Mau, who was born in Mexico and raised in California, has also been focusing behind the camera lately. Earlier this month, she appeared in All the words except that onea short film that she also wrote and directed, at the 2024 Maryland Film Festival.

It explores questions about domestic violence, healing, responsibility and forgiveness, she said. I specifically decided to write a character who didn't go on the healing journey that I went on, and who didn't have the kind of support that I had, and who ends up in a new relationship without having healed the wounds of his past relationship.

Although Mau admitted that she is still aware of what is happening in terms of her newfound fame, she hopes that the praise she received for Baby Reindeer will lay the foundation for future projects.

The reason I came to the world of television and film was to tell stories that inspire change, that empower black and brown queer and trans people, that encourage us to have more grace toward each other , she said. As a Latina trans woman, the roles available to me are very limited.

It's common for someone like me to be very underestimated, to have to prove yourself 10 times over, she continued. So I hope that this work that I've done will give a little more confidence to the people who make the decisions, because I had that confidence.