‘Nasty work’: ‘Wuthering Heights’ fans are ripping into the upcoming movie after its latest casting announcement
Fans have found a better Heathcliff.
The Wuthering Heights adaptation being helmed by Emerald Fennell can’t catch a break with its casting choices. Then again, when you choose Jacob Elordi to play the dark-skinned toxic fictional boyfriend Heathcliff, and then cast an Asian actor who would genuinely suit the part in another role, you’re inviting criticism, aren’t you?
In September 2024, it was announced that Margot Robbie would be playing the much younger heroine of Emily Brontë’s novel, Catherine Earnshaw, in the film while Elordi would play Heathcliff. Both were odd choices for their characters, but the latter spawned quite the social media discourse about erasing Heathcliff’s ethnicity.
Adding fuel to this already lit fire, a fresh wave of casting announcements for Wuthering Heights has arrived. Alongside Saltburn’s Alison Oliver, who will be playing Heathcliff’s wife Isabella, and Hong Chau, who will play one of the narrators, Nelly Dean, a third name has fanned the flames of the Heathcliff discourse once more. Pakistani British actor Shazad Latif (Nautilus, What’s Love Got To Do With It?) has been cast to play Edgar Linton, Catherine’s husband and Isabella’s brother.
And when you look at him, there’s no way you wouldn’t be tempted to ask—why is Shazad Latif not playing Heathcliff? The dreamy actor looks the part, for which many fans had nominated BIPOC actors like Dev Patel, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Ishan Khatter, and Regé-Jean Page as better choices than Elordi. So what gives? Moreover, even from a purely historical perspective, it would make more sense for Heathcliff to be a person of color and to be jealous of, say, a caucasian Edgar Linton for various reasons, including his skin tone. So what gives?
On X, several film buffs and Wuthering Heights fans reiterated their doubts about Jacob Elordi’s casting as Heathcliff, calling it “nasty work.” Because, let’s face it, in light of Latif’s casting, this whole thing looks even more ridiculous. Some even wished for their characters to be swapped because having someone like him play this character would save the film a lot of backlash.
One person wrote, “Why is she [Fennell] pulling a reverse racism in front of our very eyes this is crazy.” Another asked, “Do you know how hilarious it is to cast Jacob Elordi as the socially othered, marginalized lead and then have a brown actor play Edgar Linton?”
One person questioned the casting department’s familiarity with the book, writing “did the casting department even BOTHER to google about the book they are supposed to be adapting,” while another hoped that the announcement of Latif’s involvement meant that Elordi had been recast: “please please please please be a recast for heathcliff please please please emerald did you listen to me.”
Again, no one here is questioning Jacob Elordi’s acting prowess. But Wuthering Heights is a passionately loved classic, and a choice that erases such an important aspect of a protagonist’s character journey feels inauthentic to the source material. When we have so many capable and more suitable actors to play the part, why go down this route? (Well, we all know, really).
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