“If you listen closely, you can find it”: Miller’s Girl Director Jade Halley Bartlett Hid Her Next Project Within the Martin Freeman Movie
Written and directed by Jade Halley Bartlett, Miller’s Girl is a blend of comedy and thriller. She is known for her eccentric wit and an eye for intricacies that make her writing more interesting and engaging. Previously, Bartlett was supposed to pen the script for the Marvel movie Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness but was eventually replaced by Michael Waldron. Miller’s Girl was released on January 26, 2024, and has since received mostly positive reviews.
What’s Next For Jade Halley Bartlett?
As an actor, writer and director, Jade Halley Bartlett is an exceptional creative force. Bartlett might not have a lot of prior experience directing a big movie with actors like Martin Freeman and Jenna Ortega in the lead, but she proves her mettle in Miller’s Girl as the movie continues to take Hollywood by storm. The plot follows Cairo’s journey as she seeks mentorship from a Professor named Jonathan Miller in creative writing. They spark an unlikely relationship as the assignment unfolds further.
The equation between the professor and the protege takes on newer meanings and definitions as they move ahead. They must keep their eye on the ball which is to learn and grow as writers. In time, the story takes on a darker tone as their age gap becomes more apparent and nothing can stop the tornado that’s headed their way.
In an interview with Bleeding Cool, Bartlett expressed how she has mapped out her future projects and what she aspires to achieve. While she couldn’t give them any names, she does hint towards an easter egg in Miller’s Girl itself.
“I can’t speak to the other projects I’m working on right now, but my original canon of work, the following script I have, is mentioned in ‘Miller’s Girl.’ All my original scripts exist in the same universe. If you listen closely, you can find it. Beatrice says, “My next original film is the book that Beatrice is writing.” She says the title of it somewhere in the movie.”
Seems like another project is already locked and loaded for Bartlett who will surely receive more recognition for a movie like Miller’s Girl. While the theme of romance between people from different generations has been covered in many movies, Bartlett’s project takes it a step ahead and tries to explore all the intricacies that revolve around the movie.
Jade Halley Bartlett’s Inspiration Behind Miller’s Girl
Apparently, the story started out as a play which Bartlett has penned in over 160 pages. When she was living in New York, the idea for Miller’s Girl struck her and she built a story around the same foundational idea. The most interesting part about the story is the wide spectrum of good and evil that it features. Nobody is a clear hero or villain in the story and like most humans, every character has a bit of both in them. Talking about her process, she said,
“I decided I wanted to build something around an actor I knew. I called one of my best friends, Julianne, an exceptional actress, and I asked her what character she’d want to play if she could play any character. She said Rhoda Penmark from ‘The Bad Seed’ (1956), which, if you’ve seen the movie, is about a psychotic killer child. I had set out to write a villain, and the first iteration of the story, Cairo (Ortega), was about the birth of a villain—someone whose heartbreak makes them turn. When #MeToo happened in 2016, at this point, I had developed it into a screenplay.”
The movie took a firm shape once Martin Freeman signed on to play one of the lead roles. After that, it was smooth sailing for Bartlett. When she met with Jenna Ortega, she saw Cairo in her as clearly as she imagined the character. Her disarming charm and honest demeanour secured the deal. Moreover, the chemistry between Freeman and Ortega worked very well, eventually translating their tumultuous relationship on screen.
