Noah Romsdal Hallundbæk Sørensen
Wuthering Heights is breaking records.
It has stormed the global box office, drawing packed theaters and passionate fans.
But alongside its commercial triumph, the latest adaptation of Wuthering Heights has ignited fierce debate.
Despite earning $82 million worldwide in its opening weekend and securing an 84% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, the film has been dogged by controversy from the moment it was announced.
Casting sparks debate
When Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi were unveiled in early 2024 as Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, reaction online was swift. Some critics voiced fatigue over familiar Hollywood names dominating major roles.
Others focused on fidelity to Emily Brontë’s 1847 novel. Catherine is portrayed in the book as a teenager, marrying at about 18 and dying soon after at nearly 19.
Robbie, though praised for her performance, is significantly older than the character.
Elordi’s casting prompted even sharper criticism. Heathcliff is described in the novel as a “dark-skinned gipsy,” a “little Lascar,” and “as black as the wall behind him,” with speculation in the text about his heritage. Many readers argued the role should have gone to an actor of color.
Speaking to ABC in Sydney, Elordi defended director Emerald Fennell’s decision. “This is Emerald’s interpretation of the text, and Emerald is an artist that I respect and admire, and I think her work is really important,” he said, adding that his aim was to “serve the truth of the screenplay that I’ve been handed.”
Off-screen scrutiny
Attention intensified as behind-the-scenes stories surfaced during filming and the promotional tour.
Reports that Elordi wrote Robbie a love letter in character and filled her room with flowers fueled speculation about their closeness.
In interviews, Robbie admitted she became “codependent” during production, saying she felt “like a kid without their blanket” when Elordi was absent and described the experience as “unnerved and unmoored.”
Elordi echoed the intensity, calling it an “obsession,” and adding: “If you have the opportunity to share a film set with Margot Robbie, you’re going to make sure you’re within 5 to 10 meters at all times, watching how she drinks tea, how she eats her food. … She’s just like an elite actor.” The remarks drew further public scrutiny, particularly given Robbie’s marriage to producer Tom Ackerley.
A radical rewrite
The strongest reactions, however, have centered on Fennell’s narrative changes.
In Brontë’s novel, Catherine’s early death shapes the second half of the story, driving Heathcliff’s descent and influencing the next generation.
Fennell’s film shifts Catherine’s death to the conclusion, eliminating much of the book’s later storyline and sidelining the novel’s layered narration.
Characters such as Nelly and Edgar are portrayed more overtly as antagonists, altering the moral complexity that defines the original.
Defending her approach in a January interview with Fandango, Fennell said the novel means “so much” to her and acknowledged the limits of adaptation. “… it’s very important that everyone who loves it as much as I do feels almost a part of it,” she said. “The thing for me is you can’t adapt a book as dense and complicated and difficult as this book, I can’t say I’m making Wuthering Heights. It’s not possible. What I can say is I’m making a version of it.”
Sources: ScreenRant, ABC, Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes.
