Martin Freeman addresses age gap controversy in Miller's Girl for starring next to actress Jenna Ortega 

While speaking to The Times of London (published April 27), Martin Freeman addressed the age gap controversy around his latest film, Miller's Girl, starring Jenna Ortega. Freeman, 52, and Ortega, 21, have a 31-year age gap.

The movie was released on Netflix on April 25 and revolves around a high-school student, who starts an erotic relationship with her writing teacher, played by Freeman. The movie caused a stir on social media due to its intimate scenes between the two actors.

While addressing the age gap controversy, Freeman said the film is "grown-up and nuanced",

"It's not saying, Isn't this great?"

Martin Freeman also expressed dismay over how narratives addressing difficult topics can be tainted by public opinion and gave Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List as an example.

Martin Freeman compares Miller's Girl with Schindler's List

While giving his opinion on the movie, Martin Freeman cited Liam Neeson in Steven Spielberg's 1993 Holocaust Drama, pointing that just because an actor takes on a role doesn't mean they support the subject of the story. Freeman asked,

"Are we going to have a go at Liam Neeson for being in a film about the holocaust?"

Earlier, when asked about filming Miller's Girl with Jenna Ortega in an interview with The Collider in August 2023, Freeman called the actress, "extremely talented, super smart, great to work with, and very, very wise beyond her years." While talking about the script he said,

"When I read the script, I was like, 'Okay, that's a gutsy script', because it's very uncomfortable and there are things in it which are not cut and dry, and not black and white."

After the film received backlash on social media about reportedly an intimate scene between Jenna and Martin Freeman, the movie's intimacy coordinator, Kristina Arjona in an interview with Daily Mail published in February, assured that Jenna Ortega was comfortable with the scenes.

"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."

Kristina also added:

"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."

Kristina emphasized the importance of consent with such scenes:

"And, again, making sure - especially with someone who's significantly younger - that they are giving continuous consent.'

The film is rated R and had a small theatrical release in the US with appearances at 350 screens for only one week. As per The Numbers, a box-office tracker, the film made $321,000 in domestic ticket sales and made an additional $568,552 at the international box office. The Miller's Girl began streaming on Netflix in North America on April 26.