WATCH: In his new show ‘Half Man,’ Emmy winner Richard Gadd confronts men’s sexual repression 

In 2024, the relatively unknown Scottish writer and performer Richard Gadd had the strange experience of seeing the lowest moments of his life become the stuff of viral entertainment. His Netflix show, “Baby Reindeer,” which was based on his experiences as a victim of sexual assault and stalking, unexpectedly became one of that year’s biggest critical hits as well as one of the streamer’s most popular shows ever.

That acclaim catapulted Gadd, 36, who struggled with addiction and other demons after his assault, into a heightened and uncomfortable level of personal and professional attention.

His response to that discomfort has been to go deeper. His new HBO limited series, “Half Man,” which premieres next month, is about the decades-long, mutually destructive friendship between two men, the slight and thoughtful Niall, played by Jamie Bell, and the brutish and violent Ruben, played by Gadd, who bulked up considerably for the role. Unlike “Baby Reindeer,” the show is not based in fact. But what “Half Man” shares with its predecessor is a brutally unflinching exploration of sexual confusion, tortured masculinity, emotional abuse and the impact of trauma (with some dark laughs thrown in). Those are all issues that Gadd himself is still trying to understand both in his art and, to varying degrees of success, his life.