Jenna Ortega, associated with such hits as X, the two most recent Scream films, and the Netflix series Wednesday, seems to be one of the most popular celebrities at the moment. Nevertheless, that hasn’t stopped the latest movie starring Jenna Ortega from receiving backlash.
Unlike her other aforementioned roles, the new movie Miller’s Girl features Jenna Ortega in a very different role. She plays 18-year-old student Cairo Sweet while actor Martin Freeman, 31 years older than Ortega, plays her teacher, Jonathan Miller. Ultimately, however, the two characters form an intimate relationship.
This has many social media users quite upset with Miller’s Girl. Though some viewers were pleased with the film and Ortega’s performance, others insist that it’s just too “gross” given the age gap between the two cast members and their characters.
Here are some of the responses to Miller’s Girl that have surfaced on social media:
This Jenna Ortega/Martin Freeman film is so gross! So, so, so, so gross!
— leslie (@leslieseviltwin) February 4, 2024
also the whole thing is like jenna ortega’s character (i think winnie right?) gets into an inappropriate relationship w her teacher and then when he doesn’t end up having sex with her accuses him of assault so it’s just gross all around. get my girl out of this movie omg
— what ‼️‼️ (@aventurinecore) December 14, 2023
Jenna Ortega looks 12 I do not want to see grizzled Martin Freeman anywhere near her
— daphne du maurier stan (@lanuitamericain) February 8, 2024
the martin freeman and jenna ortega thing is so icky i do not like that
— mil (@millpeed) February 8, 2024
MARTIN FREEMAN WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO JENNA ORTEGA
— adri is just surviving 🫠 (@AdrianaKhooo) February 4, 2024
Now, following this backlash, the film’s own intimacy coordinator, Kristina Arjona, has responded to the “x-rated” moment between the two characters from the film. It’s this particular scene that seems to be getting the most backlash, but Arjona does her best to set the record straight via Daily Mail:
“There [were] many, 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 determined and very sure of what she wanted to do,” Arjona explained.
“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,” added Arjona. “I’m hyper aware of both of my talent and making sure that we’re consistently checking in and that at no point are any of their boundaries being surpassed.”
“And, again, making sure — especially with someone who’s significantly younger — that they are giving continuous consent,” she added.
This includes discussions regarding the “level of nudity” and other “additional barriers” when shooting the film. As such, they also had “the option on the day to change their mind if they don’t want to do any of the elements that we’ve discussed.”
It’s definitely an interesting process that goes into making a film like this. And while they did everything they could to make sure it was a safe production, they must have known there would still be some backlash to the Jenna Ortega film. Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates regarding Miller’s Girl and the career of Jenna Ortega as we have them.