Inside Baby Reindeer's Nava Mau’s life off-screen including incredible career
Since it landed on Netflix on Thursday, 11 April, Baby Reindeer has gripped viewers at home. Based on creator Richard Gadd’s own experience of stalking, the series follows Donny who’s life changes forever after he gives a woman called Martha a cup of tea.
While the series may centre on Donny’s experience, the drama shows how the consequences of what Donny is going through affects other people in his life including Teri – his love interest.
Played by actress Nava Mau, Teri meets Donny on a dating app and the highs and lows of the pair’s time together unravels as the series goes on as they navigate the early stages of their relationship while dealing with Donny's stalker.
According to Nava, 31, she was interested in portraying Teri because it was written by “someone who had actually known and loved a trans woman and wasn't writing from a place of imagination,” Digital Spy reports.
And during a Q&A screening, she added: “I think I knew that it was based on real life and it seemed really important to show people that trans women exist in real life and in relationships with real people. I could see Richard's heart in the writing and I hope that people will see it too.”
Prior to starring in the Netflix series, Nava appeared in HBO’s comedy drama Generation which followed a group of high school students as they navigated life in California. As part of the show, she played a character called Ana.
Nava, who was born in Mexico City, has also produced, directed and starred in a short film called Walking Hour and has worked as a production fellow on the Netflix documentary Disclosure which analysed “Hollywood's impact on the trans community”.
Speaking about her varied career in the film and TV industry, in 2021 Nava told Elle : “I do really like working in a variety of capacities. I would say that my favourites are directing and acting, obviously.”
She joked: “Writing is the bane of my existence. It sends me into a crisis and a mental health spiral every time.”
But while her acting career may be going from strength to strength, before becoming an actress, Nava had other ambitions.
“I wanted to be a pop star,” she told Texas Monthly in 2021. “I would do lip-synch performances with me and my sisters singing to Selena or the Spice Girls for our family and friends. All I wanted to do was dream of other worlds and characters that I wanted to be.”
Meanwhile, prior to becoming an actress, Nava studied at Pomona College in California where she obtained a BA in Linguistics and Cognitive Science and the actress has also worked as a legal assistant, peer counsellor and advocate for the LGBTQ+ community.
