Baby Reindeer star admits response to Netflix series was "very overwhelming"

Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, Mau opened up about what it's felt like being catapulted into the limelight off the back of Netflix's much talked-about Baby Reindeer.

Talking about the response to the series, Mau said: "It was very overwhelming to recognise that so many people were watching the show and having such a personal response to it. It was beautiful, it was beautiful to get to share in so many conversations about the series. It’s kind of all you can ever hope for as an actor, to be part of something."

But could Mau have imagined how big the series would have gotten? "Absolutely not," she admits.

"I knew that whoever was meant to see it was going to see it. I just … I really mean this when I say it that it was enough for me to be a part of it. It was enough that it already changed my life, just to work on Baby Reindeer. So everything else that has come after that has just feels like a blessing and an extension of what it already was for me.”

Reflecting on being selected to be part of the BAFTA Breakthrough programme for this year, Mau said: "It’s amazing. It feels like, you know, the chapter of Baby Reindeer in some ways is starting to come to a close as we have had this amazing ride over the past six months.

"And so, now to be part of this programme, feels like I get to launch into a new beginning and I’m very, very grateful for it."

Since its release back in April, Baby Reindeer went on to become an overnight hit of a series, telling the tale of a harrowing stalking ordeal which centred on Donny Dunn (Richard Gadd), a struggling comedian who experiences stalking at the hands of a woman called Martha (Jessica Gunning) following a friendly interaction at the pub where he works.

Mau starred in the series as Donny's girlfriend Teri, an American therapist who had lived in London for years and met Donny from a dating site but was ultimately unimpressed with the way he treated her.

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Also chatting to RadioTimes.com about the reception to her role as Teri and how her character sought to platform trans representation, Mau admitted: "I mean, I’m going to be honest, I didn’t know that Teri was going to be received with so much love and embraced with admiration.

"I think that speaks to the power of representing a trans woman in all of her complexity and not having to be perfect, not being afraid to show the world her scars. On the other side of that, seeing how strong it makes her to be fearless. I’ve just been so grateful for the way the character’s been received."

Baby Reindeer is available to stream now on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

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