Martin Freeman Defends 31-Year Age Gap With Miller's Girl Co-star Jenna Ortega

Martin Freeman recently broke silence on the controversy surrounding his latest movie, Miller's Girl. The sensual thriller, which stars Freeman and Jenna Ortega in lead roles, provoked discussion because of the actors' 31-year age difference and the student-teacher dynamic between their characters. Freeman defended the movie, describing it as "grown-up and nuanced." He emphasized that rather than glorifying these kinds of relationships, Miller's Girl examines their complexity.

Martin Freeman breaks silence on age gap controversy

In a conversation with The Times of London, Freeman talked about the backlash the film got for portraying an age-gap relationship. The actor said, “It's not like, 'Isn't this great,'" he remarked regarding the relationship between Ortega and his character in Miller's Girl. According to Freeman, the movie was "tainted by association" with a touchy issue. 

The Responder star continued by pointing out that films with controversial themes frequently face backlash. He cited co-star Liam Neeson starrer Holocaust thriller Schindler's List as an illustration of how an actor can perform a part without having to co-sign the movie's subject. 

Miller's Girl intimacy coordinator talks about the sex scene in the film

When Miller's Girl came under fire for the age gap controversy, the intimacy coordinator for the film came out in defence of the team and clarified that the actors were never placed in an awkward situation. Kristina Arjona said to DailyMail, “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. I’m hyper-aware of both of my talents and making sure that we’re consistently checking in and that at no point are any of their boundaries being surpassed.”

Kristina said that she had several conversations about nudity with the talent. She spoke with them a number of methods for filming these scenes so that, when shown in test screenings, audiences could judge what was and wasn't too much.