Martin Freeman speaks out on criticism of Jenna Ortega age gap in Miller's Girl

The film faced backlash on social media upon release earlier this year for depicting a student-teacher relationship, particularly one with such a considerable age gap (there are 31 years between Freeman and Ortega).

In an interview with The Sunday Times, Freeman addressed the discourse around the film, clarifying that it's not advocating for the kind of relationship that it explores.

The actor described Miller's Girl as a "grown-up and nuanced" approach to the subject matter, adding that the message of the piece is certainly not: "Isn't this great?"

Freeman went on to say that it's "a shame" that the feature, which marks the debut of writer-director Jade Halley Bartlett, became the subject of scandal just because it touches on a difficult, uncomfortable topic.

In a reference to acclaimed 1993 film Schindler's List, he asked: "Are we gonna have a go at Liam Neeson for being in a film about the Holocaust?"

Previously, Miller's Girl intimacy coordinator Kristina Arjona assured (via Daily Mail) that Ortega was "comfortable" with the sexual scenes in the film, amid concerns around safeguarding the younger talent.

"There were many, many people throughout this process engaging with [Ortega] 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," explained 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."

Freeman returns to screens this weekend for The Responder season 2, while Ortega will next be seen in cinemas for belated sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, co-starring Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder.

Miller's Girl is available to rent or buy on Prime Video. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

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