Jenna Ortega Defends Miller’s Girl Age Gap After Backlash
Jenna Ortega has addressed criticism over the film’s 30-year age gap storyline.
Backlash hits film
Jenna Ortega has spoken out about controversy around a 30-year gap.
The debate centers on her movie Miller’s Girl, opposite Martin Freeman.
Viewers react online
However, the film drew backlash after release, and viewers posted online.
One user on X called it:
“so gross! So, so, so, so gross!”
Another called a scene:
“the worst thing I’ve ever seen,”
Meanwhile, someone addressed Freeman directly, posting:
“MARTIN FREEMAN WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO JENNA ORTEGA.”
Ortega responds
Now the 22-year-old addressed the on-screen relationship in Vanity Fair.
Her character is 18-year-old Cairo Sweet, and Freeman plays teacher Jonathan Miller.
Released in January 2024, the film explores an inappropriate teacher-student dynamic.
Still, Ortega said the premise is meant to be unsettling.
“It’s not supposed to be a comfortable movie. It’s supposed to be awful at times.”
Then she added:
“Art isn’t always meant to be pleasant or happy, [where] everyone skips off into the sunset at the end. We all have f–ked up experiences at one point or another.”
Freeman defends intent
Later, Freeman spoke to The Times in April.
“The film is grown-up and nuanced. It’s not saying, ‘Isn’t this great?’”
He also said:
“Are we gonna have a go at Liam Neeson for being in a film about the Holocaust?”
Coordinator and scores
Also, intimacy coordinator Kristina Arjona spoke in February, per the Daily Mail.
“There were many, many people throughout this process engaging with [Ortega] to make sure that it was consistent with what she was comfortable with,” said Arjona.
Finally, the film earned under $900,000 worldwide on a $4 million budget.
It has a 29% critics score and 42% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.