People lost their minds over it. Honestly, it was one of those internet moments where you couldn't scroll for five seconds without seeing a screenshot of Jenna Ortega and Martin Freeman. We’re talking about the Jenna Ortega kissing scene in the 2024 film Miller’s Girl, a movie that basically became a lightning rod for every debate we’re having about age gaps in Hollywood right now.
It was intense.
On one side, you had fans who grew up watching Ortega on the Disney Channel or Wednesday feeling protective, almost like they were watching a younger sister get into a situation that made them squirm. On the other, you had the "it's just acting" crowd arguing that a 21-year-old woman is an adult capable of choosing her own roles. But the conversation didn't just stay on Twitter; it actually changed the way the industry handles these scenes.
The Scene That Started a Firestorm
In Miller's Girl, Ortega plays Cairo Sweet, a talented but somewhat predatory 18-year-old writing student. Martin Freeman plays her teacher, Jonathan Miller. The Jenna Ortega kissing scene isn't just a quick peck—it’s part of a larger, deeply uncomfortable sexual encounter that serves as the film's climax.
The visual contrast was what really got people. Freeman was 52 at the time of filming; Ortega was 21. That’s a 31-year age gap.
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Critics called it "gross" and "disturbing." Some viewers on TikTok even claimed they had to turn the movie off. It wasn't just the age difference, though. The scene itself is shot with a raw, almost claustrophobic intimacy that leaves very little to the imagination. Ortega’s character is essentially testing her power over an older man, and the result is a sequence that feels intentionally "wrong."
Director Jade Halley Bartlett has been pretty vocal about the fact that the movie is a "horror romance." She didn't want it to be pretty. She wanted it to be messy because, in her words, "the perfect victim is boring."
Why the Intimacy Coordinator Got in Trouble
This is where the story gets really weird and actually affects how movies are made now.
Typically, what happens on a closed set stays on a closed set. But Kristina Arjona, the intimacy coordinator for Miller’s Girl, did an interview with the Daily Mail shortly after the backlash started. She wanted to defend the production. She told the press that Ortega was "comfortable" and "very sure of what she wanted to do." Arjona mentioned that they used modesty garments and barriers to keep things professional.
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She thought she was helping. She wasn't.
The Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) was not happy. Usually, an intimacy coordinator is there to be a "safe space" for the actor. If they go to the media and talk about an actor's "comfort level" without permission, it breaks that trust. Because of this specific Jenna Ortega kissing scene and the interview that followed, SAG-AFTRA actually tightened their rules. They now explicitly state that intimacy coordinators can't talk about an actor's experience without their consent.
Jenna's Own Take on the Drama
For a long time, Jenna stayed quiet. She’s savvy. She knows how the internet works. But eventually, she spoke to Vanity Fair and basically told everyone to relax.
"Art isn't always meant to be pleasant," she said.
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She argued that everyone has "f***ed-up experiences" and that as an actor, her job is to explore those darker corners of the human condition. It was a very "grown-up" response from someone the world still wants to see as a teenager.
Where is She Now?
Since that controversy, Ortega has pivoted hard. If you’re looking for more "edgy" roles, they’re coming, but they’re different. She’s currently gearing up for the massive November 2026 release of The Great Beyond, a sci-fi epic directed by J.J. Abrams. She’s starring alongside Glen Powell, which is a pairing people are already obsessing over.
She’s also taking the reins behind the camera. She’s been working on a script for nearly a decade and plans to direct it herself soon. It seems like her strategy is simple: if people are going to talk about her work, she might as well be the one calling the shots.
What to Keep in Mind Moving Forward
If you're following Jenna's career or just curious about how these scenes work, here are a few things to keep in view:
- Age Gaps Are a Choice: For better or worse, Ortega is choosing roles that challenge her "Scream Queen" or "Wednesday" persona. She’s looking for agency, even in uncomfortable stories.
- The Industry is Changing: Because of the fallout from this movie, the role of the intimacy coordinator is now more protected than ever. Expect more privacy and fewer "behind-the-scenes" details about sensitive filming.
- Watch the Context: Most of the people who hated the Jenna Ortega kissing scene saw it as a 10-second clip on social media. Watching the full movie provides the "horror" context the director intended, though it’s still definitely not for everyone.
To stay updated on her latest projects, keep an eye on the production notes for Wednesday Season 2, which is expected to lean further into horror and away from the romance that Jenna famously pushed back against.