Emerald Fennell’s casting choices for ‘Wuthering Heights’ caused a stir online
Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights adaptation has to be one of the most anticipated historical fiction romance adaptations in recent years. The cast has finally been announced, but the lead actors aren’t who we expected them to be.
Nobody envisioned Margot Robbie, best known for her recent work in Barbie, as Catherine Earnshaw. There’s no doubt about Robbie’s talent and flexibility in her roles. Nonetheless, her previous roles have ranged from comic book characters to pop culture figures. None of these roles could compare to her latest one as Catherine Earnshaw. It’s a completely different vibe, and people aren’t convinced that the role is appropriate for Robbie.
Some even claim that the role of Catherine needs “enough psychologically tortured vibes” to be pulled off. Robbie might pull it off—she’s already had a memorable stint as Harley Quinn, so we know that volatile is something she can play convincingly in a movie, but can she play a character that’s become unhinged because of romance? We’ll just have to wait for Wuthering Heights to drop in cinemas. The wait will be long because the movie will only start filming in 2025. It likely won’t be released until 2026.
Why Jacob Elordi?
It seems even more people are upset that Jacob Elordi will play Heathcliff. We haven’t seen him play a character that requires as much psychological depth as Heathcliff. He was convincing when he portrayed Elvis in Priscilla, but the vibe was creepy at best. Maybe we all haven’t gotten over Saltburn yet. It’ll be strange to see Elordi portraying a character without Felix’s sunny disposition.
We need to see Jacob Elordi bring out the tortured longing that Heathcliff exudes on screen. Until then, many are in doubt about his casting.
Even more concerning is that social media users brought up the fact that Elordi doesn’t look like Heathcliff as described by the book. In the text, he was described as having dark skin, dark hair, and dark eyes. The book also describes Heathcliff as “dark-skinned” and implies that he’s mixed-race in several chapters.
His exact ethnic background was never confirmed in the book, but Heathcliff is not white. This makes Jacob Elordi an odd and controversial choice for casting, but it’s not the first time Heathcliff hasn’t been faithfully depicted in an adaptation. Previous renditions of Wuthering Heights cast Tom Hardy and Ralph Fiennes, among other white actors, for the role of Heathcliff.
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