Jenna Ortega, 21, felt ‘comfortable and sure’ about her sex scene with Martin Freeman, 52, according to Miller’s Girl’s intimacy coordinator.
Jade Halley Bartlett wrote and directed the sensual thriller, which stars Cairo Sweet (Ortega) and her teacher-turned-love interest Jonathan Miller (Freeman).
The film, released in the US last month, depicted individuals blurring the barriers between their personal and professional lives.
Many fans turned to social media to voice their displeasure with the actors’ 31-year age difference, given the sexual nature of their on-screen relationship.
In one viral clip, Jonathan reads a creative writing assignment from Cairo while the professor seems to rub her and bend her over a bed before leaning in extremely close.
Alongside a clip of the scene in question, one penned: ‘MILLER’S GIRL SPOILER. This scene is f-ing crazy #jennaortega #MillersGirl [sic].’
‘Man what!!! I get she’s an actor but man it’s hard to watch,’ another fumed.
As a Twitter user questioned: ‘IS THAT HER TEACHER???
Now intimacy coordinator Kristina Arjona has revealed to DailyMail.com it was her job to make sure Jenna was ‘comfortable’ with the filming process.
‘There was 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,’ Kristina said.
‘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 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.’
Jenna rocketed to prominence as Wednesday Adams in the Netflix smash Wednesday, which helped her become a household name.
She had already featured in Netflix’s You and the upcoming Scream revival, but this picture takes a different, more adult approach.
A source noted this, as they told the publication: ‘People need to get over the fact that Jenna is not Wednesday Adams and that she is a grown woman who is exploring serious roles as a talented actress.
‘The fact that this stirred the pot and is being labelled as gross is incredibly misogynistic.’
Other viewers praised the film for being gripping, as Reddit user LouVee616 said: ‘It’s utterly ridiculous but I dug it quite a lot. It was subversive and engaging, even it was a bit groan worthy in spots.
‘It’s a full on erotic thriller in 2024… we don’t get a lot of those anymore so I’m also going to appreciate it.’
AcknowledgeMeReddit said: ‘I loved it personally. It made me feel uncomfortable but also on the edge of my seat. Jenna Ortega really brought the acting chops with this one. And yes it’s exactly like a 90’s style of movie and I loved that about it.’
Director Jade complimented Jenna on bringing the character to life – so much so, it scared ‘the s**t’ out of her.
‘She scared the s**t out of me. She definitely went to a place with Cairo that… it’s even tricky to explain, Bartlett told What to Watch in an interview, full of praise for the 21 year old.
In a different interview with MovieWeb, the director – who is making her debut with the film – praised The Hobbit actor Martin for his portrayal of Jonathan.
‘We just had really great chemistry, and he really understood the context and the content and the character. And he was not afraid of Jonathan. There was a pretty robust search for the actors for this movie.
‘And a lot of actors that I met were afraid to play his weakness and were afraid of what he is. And of course, I totally understand, in this day and age, it’s very tricky to play a character like that. And Martin was absolutely fearless and had such humanity for this character.’
Miller’s Girl will be available to watch on Amazon Prime from February 19.
