Martin Freeman is opening up about his onscreen romance with Jenna Ortega in Miller’s Girl. The actor is defending the age gap between them.
In real life, Ortega is 21 and Freeman is 52. Speaking with The Times, Freeman commented on the film. The film follows a student who gets intertwined with her college student while working on a school project. It’s proven provocative thanks to its themes of manipulation, romance, and deceit.
Just check out this synopsis for instance: “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,.”
Freeman says the film is “grown-up and nuanced. It’s not saying, ‘Isn’t this great?'” Freeman is confused by the backlash the film has garnered. The actor points out that the film doesn’t promote a relationship like that.
“And that’s a shame,” he said. “Are we gonna have a go at Liam Neeson for being in a film about the Holocaust?”
Previously, Freeman went into further depth about the film and its themes. “There are things in it which are not cut and dry, and not black and white. Certainly there are conversations around it, at the moment and over the last several years, particularly,” Freeman said. “It comes into a world where those conversations are being had, slightly from left field, and says, ‘Yes, what about this?’ It’s interesting.”
Martin Freeman Praises Co-Star
Freeman said he had a lot of fun working on the film and praised Ortega’s talent as “amazing.” “That was a real pleasure,” Freeman also added. “The whole experience of shooting that was lovely. It was a nice little five to six weeks in Georgia. It was a lovely summer and fall, for a story that I really believed in.”
Meanwhile, the film’s intimacy coordinator Kristina Arjona opened up about a sex scene between Ortega and Freeman. She said they promoted a comfortable set environment for both of them.
“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 told the Daily Mail.
“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.