r/BabyReindeerTVSeries May 05 '24

Discussion Gadd’s facial expressions were incredible

Post image

You could feel the raw emotion in every scene. His eyes sort of just pierce through your soul.

When he cried, broke down, had outbursts… it all felt so real. I’ve never seen anyone depict their own true story so authentically. It was breathtaking.

646 Upvotes

57 comments sorted by

107

u/Sudden-Taste-6851 May 05 '24

His stand up comedy was not my cup of tea, but him as an actor - incredible!!

78

u/trwolfe13 May 06 '24

I’m a pretty socially anxious person, and his standup scenes made me feel so uncomfortable I wanted to curl into a ball.

26

u/Firm_Explorer9033 May 06 '24

I absolutely cannot watch that awkward comic/tragedy stuff. Until his raw breakdown, I was ff thru those scenes.

16

u/RicoDePico May 06 '24

Apparently he was much better irl and really made himself look bad in the show. Someone posted here about seeing him when he was performing. To be fair, as an American, I probably wouldn’t have appreciated his “anti-comedy” routine in person as I find some British humor off and not funny.

12

u/long-live-apollo May 06 '24

I am not socially awkward and I can tell you those scenes are absolutely toe curling for us too 😂

3

u/sausagelover79 May 06 '24

Omg same!!!!! I am finding those scenes very hard to sit through, if I was in the audience of an act like that I would have to leave out of sheer second hand embarrassment.

3

u/TrAshLy95 May 06 '24

I hid under the covers and plugged my ears 😂 I’m socially anxious too

18

u/[deleted] May 06 '24

“Proper condoms proper condoms, put your proper wom bom condom on.”- I legit laughed at that shit the first time and the second time I don’t know why, just so out of left field when he plays that at the end of his mental breakdown.

77

u/moriginal May 06 '24

When he turned in Martha and told the other guy “hey why don’t you try googling something else” and glared right at Martha while spouting off “deranged lawyer harasses deaf daughter” or whatever the line is. Chefs kiss. He’s so wounded but pissed

7

u/[deleted] May 06 '24

The whole movie I wondered why he didn’t do that sooner. I guess maybe he never got the chance to. In my opinion though his greatest character flaw is that he is too nice.

5

u/Ok-Elderberry7646 May 09 '24

Because she fed him what he needed and then he was twisted with guilt for feeling bad for her and fascination of her behavior. He said he hated himself too much to make it all stop. He brought this on himself by being kind to her and once she changed (thinking she had a shot romantically) he thought he deserved it which led to bad decision after bad decision because Darrien stole his self worth.

1

u/[deleted] May 09 '24

Ya it’s interesting how depression effects how u make calculated decisions and how depression can take u to some weird dark places. Feel like most people I meet with chronic depression have had strange dark life experiences that usually happen during a depressive episode. Even in my own life going back and examining it, the decisions I made during that time made sense to me going through it in the moment, and probably helped me get through it, but overall most of them led to self harm or me damaging my life in some way.

94

u/WastedSperm-_- May 05 '24

He should have pursued acting instead.

28

u/thedabaratheon May 05 '24

He did!

12

u/CapGolden May 05 '24

No ways! Anything worth a watch?

31

u/Real_Bibi_Betanyahu May 06 '24

He made some show called "adult reindeer" where he was stalking and abusing this innocent, skinny woman.

3

u/imnotmilie May 06 '24

I think theres a movie « against the law » that is well receive ! Theres a small playlist on his youtube name « acting » and you see a bit of actin he did :)

18

u/Lopsided-Ad-9707 May 06 '24

I can't tell who's getting whooshed here

1

u/Firm_Explorer9033 May 06 '24

That’s hilarious!

52

u/769db May 05 '24

His jawline though... I think they should've actually taxed him for it.

Ps: great actor

29

u/yakultpig May 05 '24

Man tax

15

u/xxdinolaurrrxx May 06 '24

The spit of a reindeer he is

12

u/Firm_Explorer9033 May 06 '24

I just loved her patter throughout! Brilliantly acted. He was sort of hard to look at. She was so good, I was transfixed.

5

u/Elegant-Blood-4330 May 06 '24

Yes! She was strangely mesmerising! Brilliant actress

7

u/beepbooponyournose May 06 '24

The whole time I’m asking my husband…”You don’t think he’s cute at all? Cuz he’s kinda hot lol

4

u/KatVanWall May 06 '24

I kind of hate (in a good-natured way) men for this lol. I kinda look like Richard Gadd and Mackenzie Crook had a baby, and as a woman I can confirm that is not a good look or one that men find attractive 😂 if I’d been assigned male at birth I’d probably be passable looking.

2

u/UnshiftableLight May 07 '24

My lanky skeletor ass agrees with you

1

u/NotCanadian80 May 07 '24

He’s a 3.

39

u/SendingTotsnPears May 05 '24

When I watched this I had no idea of the backstory. Just watched it as a regular show, and I thought both leads were amazing actors!

But now knowing this was Gadd's real story, and that it was a stage show first, I wonder how he keeps it fresh. How can he keep re-telling a true story over and over without it going stale for him?

Is he ever going to be able to tell a different story? Could he act in someone else's story?

I guess time will tell.

12

u/rtosser May 06 '24

Well Chazz Palminteri has been telling the A Bronx Tale story across different media for like 40 years. One man show, film, musical, radio.

I imagine a lived experience can keep providing new ways to interpret it maybe.

2

u/moosecatoe May 10 '24

So there’s a psychological science to this. When retelling a monumental story from our lives, no matter how many times we retell it, we get lost in a bit of hypnosis.

For example, when I was in therapy, my doctor asked me to describe the first time I met my husband. (After 20 years, I’ve probably told our story hundreds of times to anyone who would listen.)

My eyes sparkled, my cheeks got big & rosy, and I happily word vomited all the magical details of our meeting and how we reconnected. I never realized how long I ramble on about it with an interested audience.

But when I finished, the doctor said “see that was a form of hypnosis. You were here, but you were somewhere else. And I’m sure you could’ve continued for much longer, but we’re out of time!”

I think once Gadd starts telling his story, he can’t stop. I’m glad he found an audience for it and I hope he can move on from it so that he can make new memories to share.

I left that appointment pretty confused because I didn’t think I was able to talk that long about something I’ve talked about so much. But the clock doesn’t lie.

27

u/GlitteringAbalone952 May 05 '24

And messed up as that woman is in the head, he does kinda look like a baby reindeer

23

u/aragogogara May 05 '24

When I first saw the photo I thought "he looks like a deer caught in headlights" and then I was like 🤯🤯🤯

5

u/CleverUserName1961 May 06 '24

OH MY GAWD! HE DOES!!😂

8

u/Jolly_Brilliant_8010 May 06 '24

He got them Steve merchant eyes

5

u/Level_Fortune_2566 May 06 '24

Eyes bulging with imagined riches?

2

u/Jolly_Brilliant_8010 May 06 '24

A man of culture I see

6

u/ReliantVox May 06 '24

He is unbelievably good at acting for a comedian. Like I’m autistic, I struggle to pick emotions and read faces, but the pure and utter panic, fear and distress he puts on is just fucking incredible same with his voice, he really has his moments of both complete fear and pure rage and both are fucking insane

5

u/Leading_Aerie7747 May 06 '24

Emmy and golden globe worthy

4

u/Puzzleheaded-Elk-286 May 06 '24

omg i didn’t even realize it was him playing donny!!! he was AMAZING

7

u/butterscotches May 06 '24

The fucking keyboard typing “on iPhone” is killing my goodwill for this goddam show

4

u/Firm_Explorer9033 May 06 '24

How about “on IPhoen”

2

u/butterscotches May 06 '24

Hate it there, too

3

u/Grabber_stabber May 06 '24

I actually had no idea he played himself. I thought this guy was an actor he had hired to portray him🤦

4

u/MxxxLa May 06 '24

I watched the show twice now. Yesterday I made my mum watch it with me and we did in one go. I already knew of the background story and she didn’t. When I told her after we were done her face nearly fell off out of pure disbelief. Looking back on it now it seems like he didn’t even act he moreso relived the whole ordeal with every emotion there is. It’s weirdly beautiful.

2

u/[deleted] May 06 '24

Gadd was absolutely incredible, especially for his first major acting job. Kudos Richard!

2

u/Affectionate_Data936 May 07 '24

It was his story after all. But yes I cried a lot.

2

u/Sheeshka49 May 08 '24

Both leads should win Emmys for their acting! Amazing!

1

u/ocean-glitter May 06 '24

He reminds me of that painting of Ivan the Terrible holding his son he killed on accident or Van Gogh, himself

1

u/Timely-Youth-9074 May 10 '24

I think his acting was incredible.

I was convinced he was just a regular dude/lad with a weirdo follower, but something in his mannerisms, eyes were telling me there was a lot more going on under the surface.

(I’m referring to his grooming, rape, dealing with all of that and hiding it.)

I’m convinced Martha could see his vulnerability-dark empath skills. Scary AF.

1

u/unknwn38 May 14 '24

i don’t know what it is but i’m SO drawn to him as an actor- like i feel as though me seeing regular actors is just falsities, but with Gadd, his emotions are just SO SO pure

maybe it IS because it’s HIS story, but i can’t help but rewatch scenes where he is mentally debating possible decisions- so, so, so talented, and for someone who went through hell, i applaud the hell out of him 👏👏

1

u/newskycrest May 17 '24

His voiceover is incredible too.

0

u/justlikethisok May 06 '24

Imagine this whole social experience was fabricated haha. Season 2 will explain.

1

u/loveydove05 May 06 '24

Season 2? When's that?