Jessica Gunning, the 38-year-old breakout star of Netflix‘s Baby Reindeer, has publicly come out as a lesbian, confirming on interview podcast Reign With Josh Smith that she’s a “big old gay.”
Well, welcome to the family, Jessica! And happy Pride! 🌈
Speaking with the podcast host, Gunning shares she first came out to her friends and family in November 2022, which she says was “a mega, mega thing for me.”
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But it’s not like she was trying to keep herself in the closet up until that point—she just didn’t have the words for it yet.
“I am surrounded by gays. Like, all my friends are gay,” the actress explains. “So, it wasn’t that I was repressing anything. It was just that I didn’t think that I could be… I still can’t articulate it in the best way.”
Still, Gunning recalls the “massive moment” where everything clicked for her:
“I made sense of myself then because, for so long—I’m a bigger woman, and I thought maybe it was to do with my size, that I felt a little bit almost alien, or I was tagging along,” she continues. “But as soon as I realized I was like, ‘No, it’s that’ and that was the most liberating thing.”
For those keeping count, this means that all three lead roles in Baby Reindeer are played by LGBTQ+ actors—just another reason why the Netflix smash-hit miniseries has been a win for queer representation in media.
Created by and starring Scottish comedian Richard Gadd—who identifies as bi—and based on his own life experiences, Baby Reindeer follows flailing comic Donny Dunn who becomes the subject of charismatic stalker Martha’s (Gunning) obsession, which forces him to confront other traumas from the recent past.
Through a number of surprising and harrowing turns, the story weaves in themes like the nuances of sexual assault, cycles of abuse, as well as queerness and internalized homophobia. And, through Donny’s girlfriend Teri (Nava Mau), it also explores the challenges of finding self-acceptance as a trans person in a cis-normative world.
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“These things weren’t spoken about in my family.”
Gunning shares she felt a personal connection to the emotional catharsis found in the series, relating it to her personal experience with coming out:
“There’s a really emotional thing actually in Baby Reindeer,” she explains on Reign With Josh Smith, “where Donny talks about sleeping for the first time at his parents’ house [after opening up about his past abuse and trauma], and I told my family in Christmas that year, and I slept for 10 hours that night.”
“I think he was really honest and brave in how he told this story,” Gunning says of Richard Gadd. “And he’s having people talk to him all the time about how they’ve opened up to family members for the first time and just think that’s just incredible.”
Even with the heavy subject matter, Baby Reindeer has been a surprise success for the streaming platform, building off word-of-mouth to become one of its most-viewed series ever. It’s even led to early Emmy awards buzz, expected to become a heavy-hitter in the Limited Series categories, with many experts currently predicting a win for Gunning in her supporting turn.
But it’s not like Gunning came out of nowhere to wow in the miniseres. She’s been acting steadily since 2007, with a number of television roles including an ’08 episode of Doctor Who, a recurring part on Law & Order: UK, the sitcom Back from Peep Show‘s David Mitchell & Robert Webb, and the BBC/Amazon Prime Video crime comedy The Outlaws starring opposite Christopher Walken.
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Before Baby Reindeer, Jessica Gunning starred in this excellent LGBTQ+ movie
However, if you want to see more of Jessica Gunning’s work, we’ve got a movie recommendation that’s the perfect way to celebrate her coming out and Pride Month—and it just so happens to be called, wait for it, Pride!
The 2014 British historical dramedy (directed by Matthew Warchus, who also helmed Matilda: The Musical) tells the true story of an LGBTQ+ activist group that bands together in support of miner’s during their union strike in 1984, creating a powerful messaged of solidarity among disenfranchised communities.
The star-studded ensemble includes Andrew Scott in an earlier film role as a gay activist, The Wire‘s Dominic West as his partner who’s living with HIV, 1917‘s George MacKay as a closeted student, The Crown‘s Imelda Staunton and Love Actually‘s Bill Nighy as members of the mining community, and Russell Tovey in a smaller supporting role.
Gunning makes quite the impression as Siân James, a local in the mining town who’s part of the Women’s Support Group strike committee. A fiery ally, she plays a pivotal role in welcoming the gay activists help, and she helps them right back in return. (In real life, Siân James went on to become a Labour Party politician and member of British Parliament.)
Pride debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in 2014 where it received the prestigious Queer Palme award, and went on to be nominated for BAFTAs, a GLAAD Media Award, and the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Comedy Or Musical.
Our two cents? The utterly charming Pride is serves as a fantastic rallying cry for why “pride is activism” and is the perfect watch if you want to feel inspired this month. Plus, it’s a great early showcase for Baby Reindeer breakout Gunning, and what better way to welcome her into our big, queer family?
Baby Reindeer is now streaming on Netflix.
Pride is available to stream on Paramount+, Peacock, and Hoopla.
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