Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi were just announced as the newest Cathy and Heathcliff for an upcoming adaptation of Wuthering Heights, and people have extremely conflicting feelings about their casting.
Margot and Jacob are set to star in the movie, which will be directed, written and produced by Emerald Fennell, according to a report by Variety. The film will begin production in 2025, and will be shot in the UK.
As you may know, Jacob has worked with Emerald before, having starred in her previous film Saltburn. But Margot was also involved in that film behind the scenes, and was credited as a producer for the 2023 flick.
When social media users caught wind of the two Australian actors’ casting, a fierce debate ensued online — with many people fairly unhappy with the choice of leading actors.
“So, we have Margot Robbie playing a girl who dies at 19, and Jacob Elordi playing a character whose treatment in the narrative is directly tied to his racial ambiguity/not whiteness, have I got that right?” commented one X user.
“I love Margot Robbie, Jacob Elordi, and Emerald Fennell––but this is A CHOICE,” observed writer Sophie Vershbow.
“no hate to margot robbie and jacob elordi but neither of them have enough Psychologically Tortured vibes to play cathy and heathcliff. like a wuthering heights adaptation simply needs actors who are weirder,” said someone else.
And it wasn’t just fans who were, shall we say, taken off guard by the casting choice: the pros were right there with them.
TV and film critic Gavia Baker-Whitelaw wrote on X, “white Heathcliff and 34-year-old Cathy, and they both look like they belong on instagram…. im obsessed. emerald fennell does it again [derogatory].”
And film critic Clarisse Loughrey asked the poignant question: “did anyone actually read the book before deciding this”
As we’re sure you remember from your school days, Wuthering Heights is an 1847 novel by Emily Brontë, which follows the dark tale of star-crossed lovers Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw.