Margot Robbie has publicly defended the casting choices for Emerald Fennell's upcoming and already contentious film adaptation of Emily Brontë's classic novel, Wuthering Heights. Robbie stars as Catherine Earnshaw opposite Jacob Elordi's Heathcliff in a production that has sparked significant debate months before its release.
Addressing the Casting Controversy
In a recent interview with Vogue magazine, Robbie directly addressed the criticism surrounding the film, particularly the casting of Elordi. In Brontë's 1847 novel, Heathcliff is described as "dark-skinned" and a "lascar" – a historical term for a South Asian sailor. This has led to scrutiny over Elordi's portrayal, especially following Andrea Arnold's 2011 adaptation which featured James Howson as the first black actor in the role.
"I get it … there’s nothing else to go off at this point until people see the movie," Robbie stated. She passionately endorsed her co-star, saying, "I saw him play Heathcliff, and he is Heathcliff. I’d say, just wait. Trust me, you’ll be happy." She went further, lavishing high praise on Elordi by comparing him to one of cinema's greats: "I honestly think he’s our generation’s Daniel Day-Lewis."
Robbie's own casting has also faced questions, given Cathy's description as a dark-haired teenager and Robbie being a blonde actress in her mid-30s. The film's casting director, Kharmel Cochrane, responded bluntly earlier this year, remarking, "You really don’t need to be accurate. It’s just a book."
Fennell's Vision: 'Recreational Sadism' and 'Big Dick Energy'
Director Emerald Fennell, known for her provocative work on Promising Young Woman and Saltburn, offered a fierce defence of her leading lady. She described Cathy as a "wilful, mean, a recreational sadist, a provocateur" who engages in disturbing cruelty. Fennell argued that the role required "someone who you would forgive in spite of yourself," and that Robbie possessed the necessary "big dick energy."
Fennell's adaptation appears to be continuing her trend of audience-baiting narratives. Reports from an August test screening described the film as "aggressively provocative and tonally abrasive," with one scene allegedly featuring a public hanging where the "condemned man ejaculates mid-execution."
A 'Big Epic Romance' for a New Generation
Despite the anticipated raunchy content, Robbie insists the film's core is romantic. "Everyone’s expecting this to be very, very raunchy. I think people will be surprised… it’s more romantic than provocative. This is a big epic romance," she told Vogue. She revealed that Fennell's ambition is to create "this generation’s Titanic," a film with the repeat-viewing pull of Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet.
Robbie, who also produces the film through her company LuckyChap, highlighted the female perspective behind the camera. "These epic romances and period pieces aren’t often made by women," she noted, explaining that the film's sensuality is crafted for a modern, primarily female demographic in their 30s.
Fennell, speaking at the Brontë Women’s Writing festival last year, called the project an "act of extreme masochism," driven by a lifelong obsession with the novel. She acknowledged the book's shocking power, stating, "There’s an enormous amount of sado-masochism in this book. There’s a reason people were deeply shocked by it." With Robbie's staunch defence and Fennell's provocative track record, this new Wuthering Heights is poised to be one of the most talked-about literary adaptations in years.
