‘Casting Director Stands by Margot Robbie & Jacob Elordi in “Wuthering Heights” Controversy: “It’s Just a Book”‘

What does ‘Wuthering Heights’ deal with?

Brontë’s
Wuthering Heights
Takes place during the latter part of the 18th century in isolated Yorkshire and focuses on the connection between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, an orphan boy. The novel depicts Heathcliff with dark skin, hair, and eyes, leading some readers to speculate about his possible Roman or Gypsy heritage. Such background could account for the discrimination faced by Heathcliff throughout the narrative.

Why are individuals displeased with Jacob Elordi being chosen for Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of ‘Wuthering Heights’?

Thus, some critics have argued that Jacob Elordi was not the ideal casting choice to play Heathcliff because of his ethnic background. Additionally, both he and Margot Robbie, at 27 and 34 years old respectively, have faced criticism related to their age difference from the actual characters, as they are described as being in their early twenties throughout much of the novel.

At the Sands Film Festival in Scotland, casting director Kharmel Cochrane addressed the criticism by stating that there was no necessity for precision because the source material behind Emerald Fennell’s latest movie adaptation is merely a book, as she mentioned.

Deadline

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This statement seemingly struck a nerve with numerous literary lovers, as a recent Reddit

thread

regarding Kharmel’s response sparked a lot of outrage and called into question the respect Brontë’s novel was being afforded.

“It sounds like she [Kharmel] has lots of respect for the material and isn’t just doing it for money,” sarcastically commented one Redditor.

“What was the point of adapting it if they weren’t gonna actually adapt it accurately?” asked another, “They’ll probably change entire plot points to make it unrecognizable.”

“The casting decision is one thing, but that dismissive attitude makes me angry. I won’t be watching, considering it’s ‘just a film,'” added a third.

Now, Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of
Wuthering Heights
isn’t the first to ignore character traits laid out by Brontë in the original book. In fact, Heathcliff has previously been played by actors such as Ralph Fiennes, Tom Hardy, and Timothy Dalton.

Still, the rest of Kharmel’s remarks from the Sands film festival have left a sour taste in many people’s mouths.

“There was one Instagram comment that said the casting director should be shot. But just wait until you see it, and then you can decide whether you want to shoot me or not. But you really don’t need to be accurate. It’s just a book. That is not based on real life. It’s all art,” she stated.

“There’s definitely going to be some English Lit fans that are not going to be happy. Wait until you see the set design, because that is even more shocking. And there may or may not be a dog collar in it.”

When is the release date for the ‘Wuthering Heights’ film?

According to

The Hollywood Reporter

The movie is set for release on February 13, 2026. It remains to be seen how audiences will react to this controversial casting situation when they see it.