Hollywood star Melissa McCarthy was almost cast in Netflix hit Baby Reindeer

Netflix were reportedly desperate to cast a Hollywood A-lister for the role of Martha, and they even had one popular actress in mind.

A huge Hollywood star was reportedly initially a favourite to play the role of Martha in Baby Reindeer.

The Netflix series, created by and starring Richard Gadd, tells the story of a struggling comedian who is relentlessly stalked by an older woman named Martha.

A scene from Netflix's Baby Reindeer.

According to Variety, a source close to the show revealed that Gadd’s agents “pushed aggressively” for the A-list star Melissa McCarthy to play the role of Martha.

In fact, it’s believed the actress even met up with Gadd to discuss the role before eventually deciding to not go ahead with the project.

“A knowledgeable source says McCarthy met Gadd about the role but ultimately wasn’t interested.“

It’s claimed Netflix were keen to cast US star Melissa McCarthy instead. Picture: Frederic J. BROWN / AFP.

Those familiar with the production say Gadd “micromanaged casting and fired his agents after both they and Netflix pushed aggressively for Melissa McCarthy to be cast as Martha”.

Gadd has insisted numerous times during interviews that he had “always wanted” British star Jessica Gunning to play the role.

He previously told Vanity Fair: “I’d always seen Jess in shows and thought she was criminally under-utilised — always playing the comic relief character. There was an essence of something there that I could tell was bursting to get out. I fought for her against the tide, but then one day she just came in and knocked everyone away.”

Gunning and Gadd have both won high praise from critics for their roles in the drama. Photo: Monica Schipper / Getty.

“We saw amazing actresses for it, like the best actresses in Britain, for the role. There were even actresses in America who, I won’t say who any of them are,” he added, appearing to allude to McCarthy.

“I always kind of wanted Jess. Every time I’d seen her in something she’d stolen the scene in anything she did.”

It comes after Fiona Harvey, who was identified by viewers as the woman Martha was allegedly based on, decided to sue Netflix.

Harvey, who later identified herself as the real-life Martha, filed a $170m ($149AUD) lawsuit against Netflix in California, accusing the company of defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, gross negligence and violations of her right of publicity. The sum includes totals for damages, “loss of enjoyment and loss of business” plus “all profits from Baby Reindeer”.

Netflix has said that it intends “to defend this matter vigorously and to stand by Richard Gadd’s right to tell his story”.

Harvey has identified herself as the real-life “Martha”, the delusional, violent and abusive woman at the centre of Gadd’s global phenomenon, which claims in its opening episode to be “a true story”.