'Baby Reindeer' Actor Nava Mau On The Show's Success, Her Character Teri And What's Next

Nearly a month after “Baby Reindeer” debuted to critical acclaim and boffo ratings, Nava Mau is still trying to wrap her mind around its success.

“I’ve been overwhelmed by the sheer volume of people’s responses,” the actor told HuffPost. “It’s incredible that people are engaging with the story in their own language and in their own way. That’s all you can ever hope for as an artist.”

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

Over the course of the show’s seven episodes, Martha’s seemingly playful crush on Donny escalates into full-blown stalking, both at his workplace and his home. Donny’s only solace is his girlfriend, Teri (Mau), who is transgender.

Much of the buzz on “Baby Reindeer” has emphasized the ways in which Martha’s unhinged, increasingly violent behavior ends up forcing Donny to confront his own unresolved trauma, which stems from having been the victim of sexual assault. The series is an adaptation of Gadd’s one-man stage play, which was loosely ― and perhaps controversially ― based on his real-life experiences with a stalker in his early 20s.

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

“It felt like the