"It's Not Suppposed To Be A Comfortable Movie": Jenna Ortega Defends Her Controversial 2024 Thriller With 29% RT Score

Jenna Ortega reflects on her thriller Miller’s Girl. Miller’s Girl is a thriller and dark comedy 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 with Vanity Fair, Ortega expresses her feelings about Miller’s Girl. Referencing the controversy, Ortega noted that Miller’s Girl is “not supposed to be a comfortable movie.” The actor went on to note that “art isn’t always meant to be pleasant or happy” and that everyone has “fucked-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 fucked-up experiences at one point or another.

Jenna Ortega Has Mastered The Art of Unhappiness

Many Of Ortega’s Roles Are Dour

When Miller‘s Girl was released, the film was highly controversial. Definitely 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 the fact that Ortega and Freeman have a real-life three-decade age gap, making the filming of Miller’s Girl‘s sexual fantasy sequence more uncomfortable. This controversy is part of what led to the film’s negative reception, garnering a 29% on Rotten Tomatoes.

While Miller’s Girl may be the most controversial, the film is far from the only work in Ortega’s career to take on subjects that are “awful at times.” The 2021 film The Fallout saw Ortega play a high school 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 Fallout struck 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 her Emmy-nominated role in Wednesday, wherein her character’s signature trait is how consistently dour and emotionless she is. Wednesday is now her most notable role, leading her to be cast in similar parts, such as in the Tim Burton sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Miller’s Girl may 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.

Source: VF