Jenna Ortega Defends Controversial Bedroom Scene With Martin Freeman In Miller's Girl

6 August 2024, 17:41 | Updated: 4 October 2024, 18:13

By Sam Prance

People criticised Miller's Girl for its disturbing scenes and the age-gap between Jenna Ortega and Martin Freeman.

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Remember the controversial bedroom scene in Miller's Girl? Jenna Ortega has now addressed the backlash surrounding the age-gap between her and Martin Freeman in the film and defended the "f---ed up experiences" portrayed in the movie.

Back in January, scenes from Miller's Girl went viral on social media with viewers calling out the inappropriate relationships in the film. In Miller's Girl, Jenna plays an 18-year-old student named Cairo who tries to seduce her much older creative writing teacher Jonathan (Martin Freeman). Things quickly get out of hand and the film takes multiple dark turns.

Not only do Cairo and Jonathan kiss in the film but there's one scene where Cairo bends over a bed and Jonathan strokes her hair. It's then revealed that Jonathan is imagining a sexual scenario between him and Cairo while masturbating.

The scene and the age-gap between Jenna and Martin sparked some criticism online and now Jenna has responded to it.

Watch Jenna Ortega in the Miller’s Girl trailer

In real life, Jenna is 21 years old and Martin Freeman is 52. Talking to Vanity Fair about the backlash to the film, Jenna said: "It’s not supposed to be a comfortable movie. It’s supposed to be awful at times. Art isn’t always meant to be pleasant or happy, and everyone skips off into the sunset at the end. We all have f---ed-up experiences at one point or another."

Martin also defended the film in April. In an interview with to The Times, Martin said the movie is "grown-up and nuanced" and doesn't praise or condone he relationship between Cairo and Jonathan. Martin explained: "It’s not saying: 'Isn’t this great?'" He then argued that Miller's Girl was "tainted by association" over its difficult subject matter.

Martin Freeman and Jenna Ortega in Miller's Girl. Picture: Alamy

Elsewhere, the film's intimacy coordinator Kristina Arjona assured viewers that Jenna was comfortable filming the bedroom scene. She told The Daily Mail, she said: "There was many people throughout this process, engaging with [Jenna] to make sure that it was consistent with what she was comfortable with, and she was very sure of what she wanted to do."

Kristina then added: "Part of my job too is supporting her decisions. I adapt to whatever is the comfort level of my actors, especially on a production like this where there is a large age gap between the actors. I’m hyper aware of my talent and making sure that we’re consistently checking in and that at no point are any of their boundaries being surpassed."

She ended by saying: "And making sure – especially with someone who’s significantly younger – that they are giving continuous consent."