Some people on social media expressed shock and concern about a sex scene between Ortega, 21, and Freeman, 52, in ‘Miller’s Girl’
The intimacy coordinator on Jenna Ortega and Martin Freeman‘s new movie is speaking out after some viewers took issue with their sex scene because of the “large age gap between the actors.”
Miller’s Girl, which debuted in select theaters in January and is written and directed by Jade Halley Bartlett, centers on a writing student named Cairo, played by Wednesday and Scream actress Ortega, who “embarks on a creative odyssey when her teacher assigns a project that entangles them both in an increasingly complex web,” per a synopsis.
“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.”
After some people on social media expressed shock and concern about a sex scene between Ortega, 21, and Freeman, 52, the Miller’s Girl intimacy coordinator, Kristina Arjona, assured in a new interview that the costars were “comfortable” when filming and depicting the dynamics of the subject matter.
“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.
Zac Popik/Lionsgate Martin Freeman in “Miller’s Girl”
“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.
Reps for Ortega and Freeman did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.
Arjona explained that the actors talked about the “level of nudity” and “additional barriers” when filming the sequences. Plus, they had “the option on the day to change their mind if they don’t want to do any of the elements that we’ve discussed.”
In August, Freeman told Collider about working with Ortega, calling her “amazing.”
“She’s extremely talented, super smart, great to work with and very, very wise beyond her years,” the Black Panther actor said. “That was a real pleasure. 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.”
Related: Cillian Murphy Says ‘Oppenheimer’ Sex Scenes with Florence Pugh Were ‘Awkward’ but ‘Vital’ for Plot
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He recalled thinking the Miller’s Girl screenplay was a “gutsy” script, one that is also admittedly “very uncomfortable.”
“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,” said Freeman. “It comes into a world where those conversations are being had, slightly from left field, and says, ‘Yes, what about this?’ It’s interesting.”
