It was a special homecoming for La Quinta native and actress Jenna Ortega as she celebrated the world premiere of her latest film “Miller’s Girl” with fellow cast and crew members Thursday night at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.
Ortega, actors Martin Freeman, Bashir Salahuddin and Gideon Adlon, director Jade Haley Bartlett and producer Marie-Margaret Kunze were present at the first screening of the film at Mary Pickford’s Eze d’Place in Cathedral City. Those lucky enough to make it in were later treated to a post-screening talking pictures Q&A with the stars, director and producer.
“Miller’s Girl,” also written by Bartlett, tells the story of Cairo Sweet (Ortega), a talented young writer who impresses her teacher, Jonathan Miller (Freeman), with her vast literary knowledge and ambitions. However, as they work closely together, especially when he gives her a creative writing assignment, the lines between their relationship and their lives become intertwined in a complex web of infatuation and manipulation. The film also stars Dagmara Dominczyk and Christine Adams.
Lionsgate movie will release on January 26.
It’s a project that took several years to get off the ground, Bartlett revealed during the Q&A, and one that wasn’t always envisioned as a film. Here’s what the creatives shared during the world premiere of “Miller’s Girl”.
‘The Miller’s Girl’ was initially planned as a play
“The Miller’s Girl” was originally written as a play and was built around Bartlett’s friend, who was also present at the premiere. Bartlett once asked a friend what character he wanted to play, and the friend said Rhoda Penmark, the child serial killer from “The Bad Seed”.
“I knew I wanted to write about villains,” she said. The play was also written in 2011, during a pre-Me Too era, so eleven people came forward with their stories of sexual harassment and assault, which Bartlett said led her to learn more about the conversations surrounding villains and victims.
The structure of the play also changed over time. Bartlett initially states that it is unclear whether Cairo and Jonathan ever kiss, and it is not revealed why he turns against Cairo until the short story is shared, which includes graphic situations and violent language. .
“For the film, we wanted to tighten it up into something that feels like a terrifying dark fairy tale short story that punches you in the gut at the end,” said Bartlett.
Ortega’s first thoughts on the film, the character
When Ortega first got the script, she found it a “scary yet beautiful” romantic horror film she was excited to sink her teeth into.
“I remember being very taken back by Caro Sweet because, at least from what I’ve experienced in my career and I think a lot of young women can say the same, I think teenage girls are often written in the same bratty way. , no-nonsense way,” Ortega said. “But Cairo is so incredibly intelligent and seems wise beyond his years that I was excited, one, not only to be able to explore that, but, two, obviously the subject of the film is a little bit more dangerous… it’s a . a scary thing to approach.”
As an actress, Ortega said she’s always looking to take risks and explore something new with her work, so when she found herself drawn to the charming yet terrifying Cairo, she felt “excited” to take on the film.
Freeman takes on executive producing, starring roles
Freeman is perhaps best known for his on-screen roles in films and TV shows such as “The Hobbit,” Marvel Studios productions and “Sherlock,” but he has also taken an interest in producing in recent years. He served as both the executive producer and star of “Miller’s Girl”.
When asked how he juggled both hats during production, Freeman said he was able to keep them separate.
“On set as an actor, I don’t think I was thinking, ‘Now, what’s my inner executive producer going to do?’ “You’re so busy doing whatever you’re doing between the action and the cut,” he said.
Freeman read the script long ago, and when he signed on as an executive producer, he spoke with Bartlett and Kunze about the production and what drew him to the project.
‘Martin was the beginning of everything,’ says Kunze.
Getting a film off the ground takes a lot of time, but having star-power behind a project can be a big help. “Joining Martin was the start of everything for us,” said producer Kunz.
“He set the movie on this really great track to be successful from the beginning, and he brought an intelligence and thoughtfulness to it that gave us the confidence to move forward in the casting process,” Kunze said. “It made it attractive not only to us, but to other members of the cast who wanted to come and do it. Martin standing next to us, getting this amazing script from Jade, made it so much easier.”
Kunz also said that there was no casting director on the film, but fellow producer Josh Fagan spearheaded the process. The team had an “incredible summer of receiving audition material from some of the best people who wanted to come forward and do it.”
The first time Bartlett spoke with Freeman, Kunze recalled, the writer/director’s voice was filled with excitement due to their chemistry (and both Bartlett and Kunze nearly fainted, she added). The same thing happened when Bartlet talked to Ortega.
“We were looking for talent and execution, but chemistry more than anything, and even on Zoom when Jade and Jenna met, it set this incredible tone,” Kunze said. “It was like lightning in a bottle.”
Discussion on real villains
It’s easy to pick out who the heroes and villains are in a story when they’re clearly written about, but Bartlett wanted to stay away from that and give audience members something deeper to talk about with his real characters.
“I think the perfect victim and the perfect villain is boring to write, I think it’s boring to play, and I think it’s not real life. In real life, it’s very gray, it’s very vague, ” she said. “I wanted to explore characters who are all those things. I think that makes them really terrifying. When I write anything, I write about the things that keep me up at night, and I think that kind of The characters keep me up at night.”
The director/writer hopes that moviegoers will argue about who the good and bad guys are in the story and that it will challenge their judgments about them.
Ortega added that the film should spark deep conversations and opinions among people because “that’s why we go to the movies in the first place.” She also believes it will remind young people that as much as they want and are encouraged to explore their freedom and independence, they will make mistakes along the way.
Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ema_sasic.
