What is the gender identity of Teri from Baby Reindeer? Nava Mau's on-screen character explored

Netflix's latest offering, Baby Reindeer, has viewers hooked to the screen. Released on April 11, 2024, the seven-part miniseries revolves around Donny, a stand-up comic and bartender, who gets stalked by a woman named Martha.

One of the actors making waves is Nava Mau who portrays Teri, an American therapist. Teri is a transgender woman and Donny's love interest whom he meets via a dating app. However, their relationship faces challenges due to Martha's stalking and Danny's personal ordeals.

Baby Reindeer is based on true events that happened to comedian Richard Gadd, who created and stars in the show as Donny Dunn. The real identity of the person on whom Teri is based is undisclosed.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the Netflix miniseries, Baby Reindeer.

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Teri from Baby Reindeer is trans, character details explored

A still from 'Baby Reindeer' (via Netflix)

As previously mentioned, Nava Mau portrays an American therapist named Teri in Netflix's Baby Reindeer. After meeting on a dating app, Teri and Donny got into a relationship. However, Donny feels ashamed and keeps their affair a secret due to Teri being a trans woman.

Despite this, she displays great patience and is often the voice of reason for Donny in the show. However, their relationship does not sit kindly with Martha, the woman who is obsessively stalking Donny. In one scene, she physically attacks Teri out of jealousy which finally prompts Donny to go to the police and later the couple break up.

Richard Gadd as Donny in 'Baby Reindeer' (via Netflix)

In the final episode of the series, Teri is shown to have moved on from Donny as she begins a relationship with a new man. Donny moves in with his ex Keeley as he listens to Martha's voicemails.

In a GQ interview published on April 14, Richard Gadd opened up about the inspiration behind Teri's character—

"I’d fallen for someone who was trans but with that came a lot of questioning and all of this unfortunate shame that you have when you’re young. When somebody like Martha came along I saw it as some kind of weird bent to my manhood."

A still from 'Baby Reindeer' (via Netflix)

Meanwhile, Nava Mau shared her thoughts about her character in a Q&A screening published by Digital Spy on April 16. She revealed—

"When I read [the script], I could tell that Richard really loved her, whoever inspired this character. 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."

She also added that she felt a sense of responsibility while playing the role since it was based on a real person.

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Nava Mau, personal and professional details explored

Nava Mau at the Outfest Fusion Opening Gala (via Getty/Kevin Winter)

Nava Mau is a 31-year-old Mexican award-winning filmmaker, actress, and cultural worker. Born in Mexico City and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Mau graduated from Pomona College with a Bachelor's degree in Linguistics & Cognitive Science. She also studied in Paris and conducted research in Guadalajara, Mexico.

According to her website, Mau worked for eight years in the fields of anti-violence, healing justice, and political education. She first worked as a legal assistant with immigrant survivors of violence before becoming a peer counsellor and advocate for LGBTQ survivors in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is highly experienced in curriculum development, workshop & dialogue facilitation, as well as public speaking.

As a filmmaker, Nava Mau starred in Waking Hour, a short film that she wrote, produced, and directed herself. She was also handpicked as a Production Fellow for Netflix's Disclosure, a documentary about trans people and representation in Hollywood. Her other acting credits include HBO Max's Generation and a handful of other short films.

She also edited the upcoming anthology Paradise on the Margins: Worldmaking by Trans Women of Color. Additionally, Mau is the recipient of the NewFest Audience Award and the YoSoy Award from the Hispanic Heritage Foundation.

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Starring Richard Gunn and Jessica Gunning, all seven episodes of Baby Reindeer are currently available to stream on Netflix.