DIVA sat down with the star of this new drama-thriller miniseries
BY SOPHIA GRACE, IMAGE BY NETFLIX
Netflix’s new series from Richard Gadd, Baby Reindeer, follows the life of a struggling comedian as he deals with a stalker. Playing opposite Richard as his love interest is trans actor Nava Mau, who stars as Teri.
Nava Mau is an award-winning Mexican trans filmmaker, actress, and cultural worker. She previously starred in the HBO series Generation and has worked behind the scenes on Disclosure with fellow trans actor Laverne Cox.
She enters the room and brings with her an aura of tranquillity. As she sits down she fills the room with comfort, I am instantly charmed and it feels as though I’m about to catch up with an old friend.
Her role as the love interest of Donny in Baby Reindeer is one that provides positive trans representation, and one Mau says she’s been waiting for.
“This still feels groundbreaking to have a trans woman be one of the main characters in a series that feels like it’s written in a respectful and loving and nuanced way, so it’s an honour for me to have that opportunity. What a dream as an actor to actually have a role that is layered and integral to the story,” she tells me.
Baby Reindeer is a story based on the real-life experiences of Richard Gadd, who plays Donny. The show is based on his one-man show of the same name which he first performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2019.
Nava tells me about how different it was to work with an autobiographical story. “It’s unlike anything I’ve ever worked on before, the fact that the creator whose life the story is based on is also playing the character based on himself and that I was the love interest… it’s very unique.”
Alongside acting Nava has also worked with survivors of violence, making her involvement in this show even more important, as it deals with themes of violence and trauma.
During her three years as a counsellor for survivors of violence, she worked with LGBTQIA survivors of intimate partner violence and hate violence. Nava tells me that the work she did with queer survivors informs all of the work she does today. “It felt so serendipitous and so monumental for this script to come my way and for my values to have a place, there was this convergence.”
Her work as a counsellor allowed her to learn about the power of community and it seems as though it was integral to and helped develop her character Teri in the show. “I learned about what it means to be a survivor and what it means to heal and you never forget that. You never forget any of that.”
Nava is also a huge advocate for trans rights and trans representation, and being trans herself, she is aware of the prejudice that comes with it. She says: “I think we had a watershed moment about 10 years ago when Laverne Cox was on Orange Is The New Black, but before that trans representation has historically been very harmful and very limited.”
She also tells me that as a trans actor, roles aren’t always easy to come by. “It feels like a lot of the opportunities for trans actors have dried up and we’re kind of waiting for that next wave.” She says that a lot of the time trans actors have to create the roles for themselves and create their own community. “I think in some ways, we’re better for it, we get to be empowered in it,” she adds.
Nava says that it’s been scary to go down the path that she has, wanting to be an actor, writer and director and being trans on top of that too. “Where did I get the audacity?” she jokes.
But for Nava, things hadn’t always been like this. “It took me a long time to own my power and so I tried to hide myself in so many different ways. I ran away from creative work, I ran away from acting, I ran away from transitioning.” She goes on to tell me that she has looked to others for courage in embracing these parts of her and finds support in others in the community.
I went on to ask Nava about her experiences working on Disclosure with fellow trans actor Laverne Cox. “I didn’t necessarily work with her one-on-one or anything, but I do remember when she came to set, I was just so in awe of her grace and the way that she commands respect simply in her breath.” The 31-year-old says she hopes to channel even an ounce of that one day.
You can watch Baby Reindeer on Netflix now.
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