“It took me 36 years to recognize myself”

Since last April, My stuffed reindeer remains as the most watched series on Netflix. According to the BBC, until mid-May, more than 65 million people They had seen the fiction and its actors still couldn’t believe their luck. In fact, Richard Gadd – the creator and star of the production – usually posts on Instagram how excited he is and Jessica Gunning (38), who plays Marthaexpresses his gratitude on every red carpet.

“It’s been incredible. As soon as I read the script, I had the feeling that it was something unique. I felt that it was the best thing I had ever read and I immediately had the feeling that it was going to be something special… And the response from the public has been immense,” he commented in April, to Glamor, in an interview in which he only talked about his work. And Gunning He is usually a very reserved person. What’s more, he doesn’t even have social networks. However, this week, he decided to change his mind.

A few hours ago, Jessica Gunning chose to talk about her sexuality, for the first time, on the podcast Reign with Josh Smith. In the program, the actress revealed that today identifies as homosexual and that he came out of the closet in November 2022, when he realized that he was already “an older lesbian.” “When I understood my situation, it was a big deal. I’ve always been around gay people, so I wasn’t holding back. “I just didn’t think she was a lesbian,” assumed.

“But one day I realized that already I was an old lesbian and it was like ‘this is who I’ve always been’. I remember it as a huge moment, when everything fell into place and I found meaning in myself. “It was liberating,” indicated, in addition to comparing his coming out of the closet with the moment when Donny, the central character of My stuffed reindeertell your parents who is homosexual.

“In one part, Donny says he slept peacefullyfor the first time, after telling his parents and when I told my family, in the Christmas of2022, I slept for like 10 hours. And I thought it was like a secret that I was even hiding from myself. But, really, I never hid it from hatred. I never felt like I was repressing something in a bad way or that if I told it I might trigger negative reactions”, he pointed.

“In fact, when I managed to recognize it I began to remember that there were always signs. For example, I would sneak out to watch the series of L Word [una ficción sobre un grupo de lesbianas]. I think I could have analyzed the situation earlier and put two and two together. But it took me my time. You might as well have known from me. look. She used to wear stereotypical dungarees, fanny packs, and a backwards cap that she said ‘no fear’ when I was a teenager”he explained.

“Probably everyone around me said ‘And when is he going to come out of the closet?’ and it took me 36 years. I might have also realized it when I did the comedy Pride [sobre la historia de unos activistas gays], because he cried all the time. She found that everything was very emotional. And then I did a play with Cate Blanchett, who I kissed every night on stage. And then I should have noticed… There were many signs,” he confessed.

Gunning today feels very calm and very happy to be able to express her feelings in public. “It’s been incredible and very liberating. I feel at peace. I used to think that talking about the orientation of someone was something sexual. But it’s not like that. It’s a way of saying this is who I am and it’s actually emotional,” he expressed in the podcast.

“Some of my straight friends have even told me that they envy people who can come out because it’s a celebration of who you are. I believe that soon people will no longer need to come out of the closet. But I do think that doing so is revealing, because you show part of your soul and you have the possibility of having great conversations with your loved ones. My experience has been fantastic and people have supported me a lot,” he concluded.