Summary
Jenna Ortega reflects on her thrillerMiller’s Girl. The movie is about an unusual relationship between a teacher and student after a creative writing assignment leads to an unexpected result. Ortega plays the young female student Cairo Sweet in the film, opposite Martin Freeman’s Jonathan Miller, with a supporting cast that includes Bashir Salahuddin, Gideon Adlon, Dagmara Dominczyk, and Christine Adams.
Speaking withVanity Fair, Ortega expresses her feelings aboutMiller’s Girl. Referencing the controversy,Ortega notes thatMiller’s Girlis “not supposed to be a comfortable movie.“The actor goes on to say that “art isn’t always meant to be pleasant or happy” and that everyone has “f*cked-up experiences at one point or another.” Check out the full quote from Ortega below:
It’s not supposed to be a comfortable movie. It’s supposed to be awful at times. Art isn’t always meant to be pleasant or happy, and everyone skips off into the sunset at the end. We all have f*cked-up experiences at one point or another.
Ortega Has Mastered The Art Of Unhappiness
Many Of Ortega’s Roles Are Dour
WhenMiller’s Girlwas released, thefilm was highly controversial. Intended to be uncomfortable, as Ortega said, many critics and viewers took issue with the fact that the age gap between the lead, Ortega, and the teacher who she is trying to pursue sexually, is so large. What made matters worse is that Ortega and Freeman have a real-life three-decade age gap, making the filming ofMiller’s Girl’s sexual fantasy sequencemore uncomfortable. This controversy is part of what led to the film’s negative reception, garnering a29% on Rotten Tomatoes.
WhileMiller’s Girlmay be controversial, the film is far from the only work inOrtega’s careerto tackle difficult subjects The 2021 filmThe Falloutsaw Ortega play a student who goes through trauma and turmoil when a school shooting takes place at her high school. Released during a time when the prevalence of school shootings was on the rise in the United States,The Falloutstruck a particular chord with audiences, shocking many. Though a very different subject, this film also found art in the unhappy and the uncomfortable, this time in the wake of tragedy.
Even in Ortega’s less dark works, the actor has made a career in honing the art of unhappiness. This is witnessed in herEmmy-nominated role inWednesday, wherein her character’s signature trait is how consistently dour and emotionless she is.Wednesdayis now her most notable role, leading her to be cast in similar parts, such as in theTim Burton sequelBeetlejuice Beetlejuice.Miller’s Girlmay be an incredibly controversial entry in Ortega’s oeuvre, but it is a part that even further shows her range and ability to take on challenging roles.
Miller’s Girl
Cast
Miller’s Girl is a comedy drama from writer and director Jade Halley Bartlett. The film follows a teacher named Jonathan Miller (Martin Freeman) and his young, talented student, played by Jenna Ortega, who become entangled in a complex relationship after a creative writing assignment yields unexpected results.
