Saltburn director Emerald Fennell is directing, writing, and producing an adaptation of Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. Fans excited to see her take on this classic novel may be changing their minds, as casting the lead roles is causing controversy.
It was recently announced that Barbie star Margot Robbie and Euphoria alum Jacob Elordi would play Catherine and Heathcliff, respectively. While both actors have only skyrocketed in popularity over the last year, this announcement wasn’t met with the enthusiasm one would expect. This is because many fans think both actors can’t represent key elements of their characters.
Robbie is 34, and Catherine is 18. While 34 is by no means old, she can’t represent Catherine’s youth and innocence. Her age is incredibly important to the story because, (spoiler!) unfortunately, Catherine dies tragically young and doesn’t get to be with Heathcliff, a man she truly loves.
The reason for Elordi being a questionable choice is much more severe. In the novel, Heathcliff is described as a “dark-skinned gypsy” and a victim of many racist remarks and actions. Even if Heathcliff’s race wasn’t integral to the plot, which it is, he is still explicitly stated to be dark-skinned and is most likely Romani. BrontĂ«’s novel was published in 1847, so while she has a person of color in a leading role, her representation of Romani people isn’t the best.
Popular Romani influencer @florida.florian posted a TikTok saying, “The answer to this misrepresentation is not taking away representation; it is fixing it.”
Even if BrontĂ«’s representation is flawed, that isn’t an excuse to whitewash this character. It is shocking that in 2024, an iconic dark-skinned character can’t be played by a person of color.
Additionally, this casting choice reveals another problem many fans pointed out on social media: directors often cast the same big names without bringing new actors to the screen. I’ve seen many videos of fans offering their own casting choices, many of which include up-and-coming actor Assad Zaman, known for his role as Armand in the Interview With a Vampire reboot. This adaptation could’ve been a great opportunity to cast newer and younger actors since the novel is iconic enough to draw in audiences, but instead, Fennell picked fame over accuracy.
The casting of Robbie and Elordi in Fennell’s adaptation of Wuthering Heights has stirred up controversy among fans, but we’ll have to wait and see how the film turns out.