'I was honestly terrified at times.' Nava Mau soars in 'Baby Reindeer.'
From the beginning, Nava Mau knew the role of Teri in “Baby Reindeer” had the potential to be a life-changing opportunity. The character, a love interest of Richard Gadd’s struggling protagonist, Donny Dunn, was nuanced and complex, an essential part of a story that’s ultimately about the power of telling the truth. The experience pushed Mau to be a better actor but also had a broader impact for the audience when Mau made history as the first trans and Latina woman to receive an Emmy nomination in the category of supporting actress in a limited series.
“Sometimes I feel like I sound like a broken record because I say we don't get a lot of opportunities, but we really don’t,” Mau says. “So to be a part of something like this and for stories of trans women and trans people in general to reflect the totality of our humanity — it can be so cliché, but we are part of communities. We are in the workplace. We are part of families. We are loved. We are loving. We are complicated. We are flawed. And it’s rare for trans characters to reflect that reality.”
Mau, who previously starred in the HBO series “Generation,” auditioned for the role in June 2022. She was given the pilot episode and one of Teri’s later scenes, but she was so fascinated by the story that she immediately went out and bought the “Baby Reindeer” play Gadd had published in 2019. Mau eventually did two taped auditions and a chemistry read with Gadd in London, and she was struck by the possibilities for Teri. She remembers getting a character description that read: “This is a really brilliant supporting role with a lot to do that appears in all eight episodes.”
“That did make me very curious,” Mau says, adding, “I just always felt like Teri was a part of me and I was a part of her. So I wanted to find out as much as I could about the story.”
Read more: Richard Gadd knew his 'Baby Reindeer' was dark. So was his life. Not anymore
Before shooting “Baby Reindeer” in London in late 2022, Mau had been on what she calls a “filmmaker journey.” She directed and starred in the short film “Waking Hour,” but ultimately wanted to do television because of the collaborative aspect of the medium. Being part of “Baby Reindeer” scratched that itch in a unique way.
“I wanted to give my all to the story,” she says. “I believed in it so much. I saw the vision so clearly and I felt that everyone else was doing the same. There was not a person on that set that wasn’t as invested as I was. It didn’t feel taxing — it felt like we were all doing it together.”
Although the narrative of “Baby Reindeer” focuses on Donny’s obsessive stalker, Martha (Jessica Gunning), his relationship with Teri is pivotal to the plot. Mau created a two-part playlist for Teri, the first half for when the couple are falling in love and the second for when Donny’s past trauma catches up with him. It included such songs as Celine Dion’s “All by Myself” and Lianne La Havas’ “Lost & Found.” The music helped Mau to get into Teri’s mindset throughout the episodes.
“I know that people have really resonated with Teri's pride and her resilience and self-determination,” Mau says. “And on the other side of that, [it] was really about figuring out where her wounds are and where her flaws are and what leads her into this story with Donny. To me, Teri’s story is really about somebody who does tumble and fall and then loses her way and then gets back up and returns to herself. It was beautiful to play that arc.”
The most difficult moment on set came in Episode 3, when Martha attacks Teri in a bar. Nau says she wasn’t sure she would be able to shoot it but eventually persuaded herself through take after take of the intense scene. She prepared by writing questions on note cards, which she asked a production assistant to show her between takes. One said, “Will he still want me?” Ultimately, though, the process pushed Mau, who describes the moments on set when everything came together as a sensation like “soaring.”
“I did something I had never done before every single day filming this series, whether that's in a technical sense, an emotional sense or a personal sense,” she says. “Not to mention, the emotional layers and the highs and lows and the intensity of it all. I was honestly terrified at times, and I think it made me rise to the occasion. Now, I know that I can do it.”
Teri is also evidence of the importance of inclusion and visibility onscreen. For Mau, who recently joined the cast of “You” for its upcoming fifth season, “Baby Reindeer” is proof that Hollywood should embrace more characters like Teri.
“[The nomination] means so much for my communities,” Mau says. “It’s something that is starting to sink in. We just don't get a lot of opportunities as trans people and as Latinas to really grow in our craft. And to be a part of stories that are as heart-driven and as connective as ‘Baby Reindeer’ is — I've cherished the opportunity from the very beginning. This moment is a celebration of what is possible when we're given a chance.”
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
