Emerald Fennell’s choice to cast Jacob Elordi in Wuthering Heights has caught attention in the UK.
According to Deadline, Elordi and Margot Robbie will play Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw in this new adaptation of Emily Brontë’s novel. Fennell, the director of Saltburn, will handle the writing, directing, and producing, with filming set to begin in the UK next year.
Heathcliff’s background in Brontë’s 1847 novel is not very clear, but many people agree that when he is described as a “dark-skinned gipsy” and that he was left as a baby at the slave port of Liverpool, it suggests he was not white.
Advertisement Michael Stewart, the director of the Brontë Writing Centre, shared his thoughts on Elordi’s casting with The Daily Telegraph:
“For a long time, many white actors have played the character of Heathcliff, who has a more unclear background. However, things have changed now. Today, when we show different people in art and culture, we have a responsibility that wasn’t as important 20 years ago.”
In a 2009 television adaptation of Wuthering Heights for ITV, Tom Hardy played the role of Heathcliff. However, Andrea Arnold’s 2011 movie featured James Howson as Heathcliff instead.
“The problem with casting a white actor, especially in today’s world, is that it ignores the character’s unclear background.”
Dr. Claire O’Callaghan, the editor-in-chief of the Brontë Society’s official journal, told the Telegraph,
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Stewart and O’Callaghan made their comments after people criticized the casting on social media. One user on X (formerly Twitter) wrote a post that has been viewed over 7.5 million times:
“In the book, Heathcliff is described as a dark-skinned brown man, and a big part of the story is that he faced racist abuse from his adopted family. But sure, Jacob Elordi is a perfect choice!”
Clarisse Loughrey, a film critic from The Independent, questioned, “Did anyone read the book before making this decision?” Another critic, Gavia Baker-Whitelaw, added, “A white Heathcliff and a 34-year-old Cathy, and they both look like they belong on Instagram. I’m obsessed.”
Many people consider Brontë’s original novel to be one of the greatest works of literature. The story revolves around two families, the Earnshaws and the Lintons, and explores the complicated relationship they have with Heathcliff, the Earnshaws’ foster son.
Source: Deadline