The controversial Jenna Ortega and Martin Freeman sex scene in Miller’s Girl is sparking a major rule change in Hollywood. Deadline reported that revelations about what went on during the movie’s filming have led SAG-AFTRA to tighten up its Standards and Protocols for the use of Intimacy Coordinators – particularly when it comes to confidentiality.
“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,” a SAG-AFTRA spokesperson told Deadline. If they don’t adhere to the standards set by SAG-AFTRA they risk being removed from the registry after an investigation.
Miller’s Girl features a sex scene between Ortega, 21, and Martin Freeman, 52. The scene drew backlash over the 31-year age gap between the actors. The film’s intimacy coordinator, Kristina Arjona, discussed the scene in an interview with the Daily Mail, saying that. “There was many, many people throughout this process, engaging with (Ortega) 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 also told the Daily Mail that “part of my job, too, is supporting her (Ortega) 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.”
The intimacy coordinator’s remarks about the scene helped fuel the discourse around it. Neither Jenna Ortega nor Martin Freeman have commented on the subject. And Arjona allegedly signed a confidentiality agreement with Lionsgate as well as an NDA.
Now, SAG-AFTRA has put up rules to make sure other intimacy coordinations can’t discuss the kind of specifics Arjona discussed without risking being thrown out of the Guild. According to their standards and protocols, “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,” SAG-AFTRA said.