When it was announced that Emerald Fennell was making Wuthering Heights and Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi would lead the upcoming book-to-screen adaptation as Catherine and Heathcliff, the internet reacted in a big way. Quickly, there was backlash, and people noted the differences between Robbie and her character, Catherine, while the choice to cast Elordi faced major criticism. Now, the actress has responded to said complaints.
For all those wondering, yes, Margot Robbie has seen what's been said about her leading this project on the 2026 movie schedule with Jacob Elordi. Recently, in an interview with British Vogue, she addressed the backlash, too. The story specifically noted the fact that Catherine is brunette in Emily Brontë's book, not blonde, and reacting to the "kerfuffle" around her casting, the Barbie actress said:
When the first trailer for Wuthering Heights came out, backlash followed immediately. Fans were quick to point out some major differences, too. For example, in the book, Catherine is 19 years old; meanwhile, Robbie is 35 - that's a pretty major age jump. However, in the interview, the director did clarify that the character will be older in the movie than she is in the novel.
There were also negative reactions over Jacob Elordi's casting as Heathcliff. In the novel, while his race isn't specified, Heathcliff is described as having dark skin, and that fact is important to the story. So, casting the Euphoria star in the role is not faithful, and readers made that obvious in their posts about the movie. However, Margot Robbie says that her co-star is this character, explaining:
A while ago, Emerald Fennell also defended Elordi's casting, saying that he "looked exactly like the illustration of Heathcliff on the first book that I read." Wuthering Heights' casting director, Kharmel Cochrane, stood up for the pick too, saying that this is "just a book" and it's "not based on real life." She also urged people to make up their minds after they've seen the movie.
All around, the folks who made this film want viewers to watch it first before passing judgment. However, it's also clear that they're aware of the criticisms that have been made.
In true Emerald Fennell fashion, the trailers make it look like a highly stylized and sexually suggestive movie. And overall, fans have not held back their thoughts about how this project could be a departure from its source material. So, it will be interesting to see how this discourse continues as we get closer to Wuthering Heights' February 13 release.