Who is Nava Mau? Baby Reindeer star explained

Baby Reindeer stars Nava Mau as Teri, a therapist who starts dating Richard Gadd’s comedian — here’s a breakdown of the actor’s career so far.

Baby Reindeer, Gadd’s autobiographical Netflix series based on his real, harrowing experience with a stalker, has been one of the streaming service’s most-watched shows over the past few days.

Alongside Gadd as Donny and Jessica Gunning as Martha Scott (his stalker), Mau plays Teri, a trans woman whom he meets via a dating app (although he uses a fake name, which has its own moral complications).

While not Mau’s first major acting role by any means, this may be the first time some viewers have seen her work — so, here’s what you need to know.

Who is Nava Mau?

HBO

Nava Mau is a 31-year-old award-winning actress, born in Mexico City and raised in San Antonio.

In 2019, she wrote, directed, and starred in her own short film: Waking Hour, which screened in festivals across the world. She plays Sofia, a young trans woman who meets a cis man named Isaac at a party.

Speaking to Out, she explained: “I had recently started dating straight, cisgender men and as a trans woman I was not prepared. I had to learn a lot of hard lessons when I started dating straight cis men. ‘Waking Hour’ was inspired by personal experiences I’ve had, but I wanted it to end differently than how a lot of my stories have ended. I wanted Sofia to be a character who realizes in the moment that she can exercise choice because so often I have not realized that I have the power of choice. And I know that’s the case for a lot of people.”

You can watch Waking Hour in its entirety for free on Vimeo right now.

Mau then worked on Netflix’s Disclosure, a documentary exploring Hollywood’s impact on people’s perception of the trans community. In 2021, she bagged a main role in HBO’s Generation, playing Greta’s aunt Ana.

As per her website, Mau has also spent the past eight years “worked in the fields of healing justice and culture change with community-based service providers, student organizations, and survivors of violence.”

Nava Mau’s role in Baby Reindeer

Netflix

Teri, much like Martha, is a fictional character — but she’s based on a real person. According to Mau, she could tell “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… I could see Richard’s heart in the writing and I hope that people will see it too,” she told Hello Magazine.

The series has been hailed for its trans representation, something that wasn’t lost on Mau when she took the role. “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 honor 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 told Diva Magazine.

We won’t get into any other spoilers about what happens in the series… let’s just say Teri and Martha do not get along.

Baby Reindeer is on Netflix now. You can also find out what other TV shows you should be streaming this month, and what true crime documentaries are worth watching.