‘Isn’t Heathcliff dark-skinned?’: Fans confused about Jacob Elordi’s casting in Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights
"Not my Heathcliff" is the general emotion.
A character that has been THE toxic fictional boyfriend for years being adapted on screen should be a cause for celebration. But ever since it was announced that Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of Wuthering Heights would have Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff, the book girlies have been furious.
Barbie actor Margot Robbie and Saltburn actor Jacob Elordi have been cast in the movie as Catherine and Heathcliff, respectively. Brontë’s novel, which centers on Catherine and Heathcliff’s destructive love story, is a beloved book for many.
But rather than excitement around the news of its screen adaptation, the casting announcement was met with much criticism and shock, for several reasons. First, the character of Catherine Earnshaw in the books is rather young—the story begins when she first meets Heathcliff when she’s seven-years-old and ends when she’s barely nineteen. Book fans have been perplexed by the choice to cast an older actress rather than an age-appropriate one. g.
However, the even bigger criticism has been levelled against Elordi’s casting as Heathcliff, because in the books, while still a little vague, Heathcliff is described as having dark eyes, dark hair, and dark skin. There has been discourse about whether these descriptions of him were meant to ‘other’ him from the Earnshaws and therefore Catherine. But either way, for years now, book readers have imagined Heathcliff to have a certain appearance and understood how his ethnicity had a major impact on his character and story—Heathcliff faces racial abuse.
The Australian actor, then, appears to be miscast at least in those expectations. Ever since the announcement was made, fans on social media have been speculating over the casting choice, and wondering if Emerald Fennell has even read the book. They’ve expressed both criticism and defence of the decision to cast Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff. Not only is it about his appearances but many fans also feel that Elordi lacks the angst to play a tortured character like Heathcliff.
Elordi’s casting as Heathcliff follows in the footsteps of another controversial casting of what was canonically a Romani character but is now being played by a Caucasian actor. At Marvel’s Hall H panel at SDCC this year, it was announced that Robert Downey Jr. would be playing the villain Victor Von Doom. While having the Tony Stark actor play the antagonist after being one of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes would be poetic and a huge fan service, many have questioned the choice to cast a non-Romani actor as a Romani character.
In fact, many fans have pitched their own choices for Heathcliff and I can’t say I am not on board with some of them! Dev Patel as Heathcliff and My Lady Jane’s Emily Bader as Catherine would be phenomenal!
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