How Much Older Martin Freeman Is Than Jenna Ortega: Miller's Girl Age Gap Explained

Summary Jenna Ortega and Martin Freeman star in the controversial Miller's Girl, exploring a dark and taboo relationship dynamic in a psychological thriller.

The age gap of 31 years between the two actors adds complexity to the story, creating discomfort and sparking debates among viewers.

Both Freeman and Ortega have embraced the movie's controversial themes, expressing their satisfaction with the conversations it evokes and the performances involved.

Martin Freeman and Jenna Ortega star together in Miller's Girl, but there is a big age gap between the two actors in this complex story. Miller's Girl focuses on a student who develops an intimate relationship with her high school teacher. Ortega plays the talented student, Cairo Sweet, who has a passion for creative writing but goes down a sinister path after her advances are later rejected. Freeman's character, Jonathan Miller, becomes shameful and attempts to deny the relationship to himself and others, leading Cairo to retaliate.

Jenna Ortega and Martin Freeman's Miller's Girl trailer was enough to spark controversy, and the movie's release in January 2024 did nothing to calm this. Miller's Girl has been described as a psychological thriller with a plot that becomes increasingly dark as it goes on. The taboo premise of the film might be too much for some viewers, but it's far from a clean-cut romance and instead focuses on the complicated perspectives on such relationships. Of course, given Miller's Girl's premise, the two stars had to sit on a wide age gap as well.

2:21 Related Miller's Girl Ending Explained Jenna Ortega's controversial thriller Miller's Girl has a messy ending that conveys concerning messages about student-teacher relationships.

Martin Freeman Is 31 Years Older Than Jenna Ortega

Miller's Girl's Premise Required A Large Age Cap Between Its Two Stars

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The age difference between Martin Freeman and Jenna Ortega is 31 years. Jenna Ortega went from Disney Channel star to horror icon, starring in the Scream franchise as well as Netflix's Wednesday. Martin Freeman is 52 and has a huge catalog of hits in his experienced career. He has been part of massive projects such as The Hobbit movies, Sherlock, The Office (UK), and even the MCU. Miller's Girl isn't regarded as Ortega or Freeman's best movie, but it has made headlines for better or worse.

The age gap between Freeman and Ortega's characters in Miller's Girl is even wider. Ortega's character, Cairo, is an 18-year-old high school senior, while the age of Freeman's character, Jonathan, is unconfirmed, but the presumption would be that Jonathan Miller is around the actor's actual age. Mr. Miller's appearance doesn't have any significant alterations to Freeman's usual look, and therefore, the character is in or around his 50s.

Miller's Girl is available to stream on Netflix.

Why Miller's Girl's Age Gap Is So Controversial

The Inappropriate Teacher-Student Relationship In Miller's Girl Has Caused Debate

Despite coming so early in the year, Miller's Girl is one of 2024's most controversial movies. Since Ortega and Freeman are both adults, their performances together aren't necessarily the problem. Even though the characters are technically legal, the discomfort comes from the fact that the titular Mr. Miller is Cairo's high school teacher, and there is, therefore, a highly immoral power imbalance in the relationship that forms between them. Miller's Girl is ambiguous about what really happens between Freeman and Ortega's characters, and even more so about who was right or wrong.

Miller's Girl might have saved itself the controversy if it had made itself definitively clear that Freeman's Mr. Miller was the "villain," while Ortega's Cairo is a victim. However, the movie instead presents both characters as being in the wrong. This perpetuates the harmful stereotype that teenage girls are vindictive seductresses and that when real-world relationships between a student and teacher arise, the vulnerable (younger) party is to blame. This has been disappointing since a high-profile movie like Miller's Girl had the opportunity to dissect and dispel such stereotypes.

How Miller's Girl Addresses Martin Freeman & Jenna Ortega's Age Gap

Miller's Girl Points The Finger Of Blame At Both Characters

Though Miller's Girl was ambiguous regarding who had more responsibility for developing such an inappropriate relationship, it did hand out plenty of blame. Though Mr. Miller is likable at the beginning of the film, it quickly becomes apparent that his low confidence and fear of mediocrity make him someone desperate for approval. Lonely Cairo Sweet saw literature as her escape from their small Tennessee town and was low-hanging fruit. As a young student who was already a fan of Miller's book, her admiration was easy for Miller to gain.

The final conclusion seems to point to both characters being the problem, which is an uncomfortable sentiment.

When Freeman's character in Miller's Girl begins to feel sorry for himself after Cairo turns him in, his wife Beatrice (Dagmara Dominczyk) calls him the true villain of the story, pointing out that it is his fault. Even his friend Coach Fillmore (Bashir Salahuddin), who shamelessly flirted with his students, told Jonathan that he needed to take responsibility as the adult in the situation. However, Miller's accountability doesn't mean much in Miller's Girl since several scenes present Cairo as the villain as well. The final conclusion seems to point to both characters being the problem, which is an uncomfortable sentiment.

Related Where To Watch Miller's Girl On Streaming Miller's Girl is a new thriller starring Jenna Ortega and Martin Freeman, and this is where to watch the controversial movie in theaters or at home.

What Jenna Ortega & Martin Freeman Have Said About Their Age Gap

Ortega & Freeman Have Praised Each Other & Their Experiences Filming Miller's Girl

As the conduits of the story and risky subject matter, it's interesting to consider what Miller's Girl's cast thinks of it all. After all, both stars knew what they were getting into when they accepted their roles and understood the intimacy they would bring to the screen. Leading up to and after the release, both Ortega nad Freeman have expressed their own interest in the conversations that Miller's Girl evokes. In an interview with Collider, Freeman praised Ortega for her professionalism and maturity while shooting, indicating that the age difference wasn't an issue.

Additionally, the Miller's Girl actor stated that the story of Miller's Girl is something he "really believed in" since it's not "cut and dry, and not black and white." Ortega has expressed similar views, noting during a panel at the Palm Springs International Film Festival that she loved the experience of making the movie and that she wants young people to walk away with the reminder to be aware of the people they choose to explore themselves with. Overall, it seems the stars were more or less unbothered and were instead excited about the conversations Miller's Girl would spark.