In the new psychological thriller Miller’s Girl, a college student played by Jenna Ortega “embarks on a creative odyssey” with her much older teacher (Martin Freeman). The official synopsis continues, “As lines blur and their lives intertwine, professor and protégé must confront their darkest selves while straining to preserve their individual sense of purpose and the things they hold most dear.”
Miller’s Girl has been criticized by people who haven’t even seen it for the inappropriate relationship between 21-year-old Ortega and 52-year-old Freeman, especially in a “gross” sex scene that’s gone viral. But the film’s intimacy coordinator, Kristina Arjona, told the Daily Mail that the Beetlejuice Beetlejuice actress was extremely involved and “comfortable” during filming.
“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,” she 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.”
Arjona was “hyper aware” of both Ortega and Freeman, “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 that due to the sensitive subject material, there were “different variations of how they wanted to shoot these scenes so that audiences could watch them at test screenings to see what was too much.”
Miller’s Girl is out in theaters now.
(Via the Daily Mail)
