Intimacy on the set of films is now changing thanks to a recent viral movie scene involving Jenna Ortega and Martin Freeman.
If you still haven't seen the scene in question yet - firstly, where have you been? - let me break it down for you.
Ortega, best known for playing Wednesday Addams in Netflix's hit show Wednesday, and Freeman, who has worked on numerous projects including Captain America and Black Panther, became the talk of the town after a steamy scene between the two in the 2024 drama Miller's Girl went viral on social media.
Check out the trailer below:The movie tells the tale of a complex love affair between an 18-year-old student (portrayed by 21-year-old Ortega) and a teacher (played by 52-year-old Freeman) and while the storyline already seems pretty risque, no one was seemingly prepared for the depth of the explicit scenes between the pair.
From steamy make-out sessions to intimate positions that left viewers red in the face, there was no stone left unturned - as you would probably expect in a film of this nature.
After the scenes caused a stir online, intimacy coordinator Kristina Arjona spoke to The Daily Mail about her experiences helping both Freeman and Ortega on the set of Miller's Girl, considering the actors had an age gap of 31 years.
"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," Arjona explained.
After discussing some other elements of preparation, the intimacy coordinator also added: "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."
However, after the interview went viral, the Screen Actors Guild has set new guidelines regarding the discussion of such scenes without the permission of the actors involved.
"Members have to feel safe, comfortable, and confident in engaging with intimacy coordinators," a Guild source told Deadline in a statement.
The new standards now read: "Intimacy coordinators should maintain the confidentiality of an actor’s work and experience in performing highly sensitive scenes unless they have the actor’s permission to publicly share this information. The public release of details about an actor’s scene work or confidences entrusted to the intimacy coordinator without the performer’s consent is unacceptable."
Intimacy coordinators who fail to maintain their confidentiality risk being removed from the Guild’s registry pending investigation into individual cases.
Ortega and Freeman have not commented on the matter as of yet.
Miller's Girl is now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
