You’ll never guess which Oscar-nominated comedian Netflix wanted to play Martha in ‘Baby Reindeer’

Few streaming darlings can claim to have carved out as prominent a space for itself as Baby Reindeer; Bridgerton may have its sensational approach to romance, and Stranger Things may have its heft as the OG Netflix originals, but Baby Reindeer has ballooned into a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against the big red N, and frankly, we respect the reckless pizzazz that the show thought it deserved.

That lawsuit, of course, is being spearheaded by one Fiona Harvey, the real-life inspiration for the character Martha, whose severe stalking tendencies send a terrifying shockwave through the life of Donny Dunn (the stand-in for Richard Gadd, the show’s creator whose life Baby Reindeer is based on).

Jessica Gunning was a revelation as the relentless Scotswoman, and we can only hope that the spotlight sticks around for her going forward. Had Netflix gotten their way, however, Gadd would have had a much more familiar face following him around London across those seven episodes.

Netflix wanted Melissa McCarthy for the role of Martha

According to a report by Variety, Gadd’s CAA agents and the streamer together were quite aggressive in their pursuit of Melissa McCarthy‘s participation in Baby Reindeer, to the point where Gadd allegedly fired the aforementioned agents for their persistence. McCarthy also reportedly met Gadd to talk about playing Martha, but the actress herself decided she wasn’t interested.

Honestly, it was for the best; part of the magic of Baby Reindeer was that it didn’t rely on star-power or other such commercialization. Indeed, its popularity owes itself to the compassionate, creative dexterity with which the material was crafted and then brought to life, although the memes that came after probably helped, too.

Baby Reindeer is available to stream on Netflix.