Martin Freeman & Jenna Ortega’s Miller’s Girl Age Gap Controversy Is Made More Jarring By His Show With 96% On RT

Summary The 31-year age gap between Miller's Girl stars Martin Freeman and Jenna Ortega has generated controversy.

Martin Freeman's breakout role in The Office (UK) highlights his significant age gap with Jenna Ortega, who wasn't even born yet when the series premiered.

Martin Freeman was almost 30 when The Office (UK) premiered in July 2001, almost nine years older than 22-year-old Jenna Ortega is now.

The controversial age gap between Miller's Girl stars Martin Freeman and Jenna Ortega feels even more uncomfortable thanks to one TV show early on in Freeman's career. Written and directed by Jade Halley Bartlett, Miller's Girl follows 18-year-old Cairo Sweet (Jenna Ortega), a high school senior who sets out to have an affair with her married creative writing teacher Jonathan Miller (Martin Freeman) to generate material for her college admissions essay. Things take a troubling turn as Cairo's writing assignment escalates even further.

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Ever since the trailer dropped in December 2023, Jenna Ortega and Martin Freeman's 31-year age gap in Miller's Girl has drawn controversy. Ortega would've turned 20 while filming for Miller's Girl in late September 2022, and Freeman would've just turned 51 earlier that month. The actors' age difference isn't as problematic in real life due to the cross-generational characters' student-teacher dynamic in Miller's Girl, but it still didn't sit well with the public. Freeman is clearly much older than Ortega both onscreen and off, which is only compounded by a harsh truth about the British actor's breakout role.

Miller's Girl Stars' Ages Name Character Actor's Birthday Actor's Age While Filming Miller's Girl (September 2022) Actor's Age When Miller's Girl Was Released (January 2024) Character's Age In Miller's Girl Martin Freeman Jonathan Miller September 8, 1971 51 Years Old 52 Years Old Unknown Jenna Ortega Cairo Sweet September 27, 2002 20 Years Old 21 Years Old 18 Years Old

Miller's Girl is available to stream on Netflix.

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's Breakout TV Role Premiered Before Jenna Ortega Was Even Born (& He Was Much Older Than She Is Now)

Freeman First Starred As Tim Canterbury On The Office (UK) In 2001

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Before starring in the BBC's Sherlock series, the Hobbit trilogy, or any Edgar Wright-Simon Pegg movies, Freeman had his breakout role in the original UK sitcom, The Office. Freeman played Tim Canterbury, the mischievous Wernham Hogg sales rep and the British blueprint for Jim Halpert's character in The Office (US). The Office (UK) premiered on July 9, 2001, and ran for two six-episode seasons followed by two hour-long Christmas specials before concluding on December 27, 2003. When The Office (UK) series premiered in 2001, Freeman was almost 30 years old, while Ortega wasn't even born yet.

The Office (UK) holds a 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Not only was Ortega not even born yet when Freeman got his big break as an actor, but at the time, Freeman was almost nine years older than Ortega is now.

In fact, Ortega wasn't born until September 27, 2002, only three days before season 2 of The Office (UK) premiered on September 30. Not only was Ortega not even born yet when Freeman got his big break as an actor in 2001, but at the time, Freeman was almost nine years older than Ortega is now, and ten years older than she was when they filmed Miller's Girl in September 2022. With all of this in mind, Freeman already pushing 30 in The Office (UK) makes his significant age gap with 2000s baby Ortega in Miller's Girl even more jarring.

The Office (UK) Season Original Air Dates 1 July 9 - August 20, 2001 2 September 30 - November 4, 2002 Christmas Specials December 26 - 27, 2003

Related Miller's Girl Cast & Character Guide Jenna Ortega's dark, coming-of-age comedy boasts an impressive supporting cast alongside the Wednesday actress. Here's who else appears.

Miller's Girl's Age Gap Is Also Weirder When Remembering Martin Freeman & Jenna Ortega's Past Franchise Roles

Freeman & Ortega Both Played Characters In The MCU

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Ortega and Freeman's onscreen pairing in Miller's Girl seems even stranger in light of their respective roles in the MCU. In 2013, Ortega made her film debut in Iron Man 3 as the Vice President's daughter when she was just 10 years old. Three years later, Freeman made his MCU debut as Everett K. Ross in Captain America: Civil War in 2016, when he was 44 years old. While Ortega and Freeman never appeared in any of the same MCU movies, their past roles in the same franchise add another layer of discomfort to their age gap in Miller's Girl.

Martin Freeman & Jenna Ortega's MCU Roles Actor MCU Character MCU Projects Type Jenna Ortega Vice President's Daughter Iron Man 3 (2013) Movie Martin Freeman Agent Everett K. Ross Captain America: Civil War (2016 Black Panther (2018) Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) Secret Invasion (2023) TV Miniseries

Source: Rotten Tomatoes