Martin Freeman and Jenna Ortega star in Miller’s Girl, an erotic thriller which recently began streaming on Netflix. Given the subject matter of Miller’s Girl, in which a high-school teacher has an inappropriate relationship with one of his students, there has been a fair share of backlash, with many focusing on the age gap between Freeman and Ortega.

While speaking with The Times of London, Martin Freeman, who is 31 years older than Ortega, defended Miller’s Girl from the backlash. The actor said the film is “grown-up and nuanced” when it comes to dealing with the age gap relationship, adding, “It’s not saying, ‘Isn’t this great?’” Stories dealing with difficult subject matter can invite backlash, which Freeman said is a shame. “Are we gonna have a go at Liam Neeson for being in a film about the Holocaust?” Freeman added.

Kristina Arjona, the intimacy coordinator on Miller’s Girl, told The Daily Mail that everything involving the explicit scenes were done properly, with extra effort to ensure Jenna Ortega was comfortable with every step. “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 explained. “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. And, again, making sure — especially with someone who’s significantly younger — that they are giving continuous consent.“

“A talented young writer embarks on a creative odyssey when her teacher assigns a project that entangles them both in an increasingly complex web,” reads the synopsis for Miller’s Girl. “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.“

If you’ve watched Miller’s Girl on Netflix, what do you think of the backlash?

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