Margot Robbie has finally responded to the wave of criticism surrounding her upcoming adaptation of Emily Brontë’s gothic classic Wuthering Heights.
The Australian actress portrays Catherine Earnshaw opposite Jacob Elordi’s Heathcliff.
Much of the backlash stems from Ms Robbie being older than the original character and not matching Catherine’s dark-haired description, while Mr Elordi’s casting has also been questioned due to Heathcliff’s portrayal as a darker-skinned outsider in the novel.
“I get it,” she stated. “There’s nothing else to go off at this point until people see the movie.”
Australian actress Margot Robbie has responded to the criticism
|
GETTY
Emerald Fennell, the Saltburn director helming this reimagining of the 1847 novel, has faced significant online debate since announcing her casting choices for the beloved literary characters.
Upon the trailer’s release, social media was flooded with criticism and debate surrounding the adaptation.
“Not to be a book purist but the Wuthering Heights casting just pisses me off,” one viewer complained, while another argued: “The issue isn’t about playing with format or a new take on the source material, it’s that removing the race dynamics alters the class dynamics, and the promo gives silly goofy romcom.”
Others focused on the tone of the film rather than the casting. “The essential spirit and greatness of the novel seem entirely lost,” one critic wrote on X.
Another added: “Wuthering Heights isn’t a romance, it’s a tragedy. It’s gothic fiction. It’s about toxic and unhealthy relationships destroying people’s lives… why the f*** does this movie exist?”
Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie in Wuthering Heights
|
WARNER BROS
“I’d say, just wait. Trust me, you’ll be happy,” Robbie told the publication.
Ms Robbie reserved her most effusive praise for her co-star’s performance as the brooding romantic lead.
“I saw him play Heathcliff, and he is Heathcliff,” she declared.
The actress placed Mr Elordi firmly within an illustrious tradition of performers who have embodied the role, citing Laurence Olivier, Richard Burton, Ralph Fiennes and Tom Hardy as his predecessors.
Margot Robbie
|
WARNER BROS“To be a part of that is special. He’s incredible, and I believe in him so much,” Robbie said. “I honestly think he’s our generation’s Daniel Day-Lewis.”
Mr Elordi, recognised for his work in HBO’s Euphoria and Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, has increasingly garnered acclaim for dramatic performances in films such as Priscilla and Fennell’s own black comedy thriller Saltburn.
Ms Fennell has offered her own justification for selecting Robbie to portray the tempestuous heroine.
Speaking to BBC News, the director described her vision of Catherine as someone who tests boundaries relentlessly.
“I think honestly [Robbie] could commit a killing spree and nobody would mind. And that is who Cathy is to me,” Fennell explained. “Cathy is somebody who just pushes to see how far she can go.”
The filmmaker emphasised that the role demanded more than acting talent alone.
“It needed somebody like Margot, who’s a star, not just an incredible actress, which she is, but somebody who has a power, an otherworldly power, a Godlike power, that means people lose their minds,” she said.
Ms Fennell has previously characterised her interpretation of Catherine as a “recreational sadist” and “provocateur” requiring an actor with “supersized star power.”
Margot Robbie in the Wuthering Heights trailer
|
Wuthering Heights trailer
The gothic romance is scheduled to arrive in cinemas on February 13, 2026, giving audiences several months to anticipate whether the creative gamble will prove successful.
The supporting cast features Owen Cooper from Adolescence as the young Heathcliff, alongside Alison Oliver, Shazad Latif and Hong Chau.
Ewan Mitchell, familiar to viewers from House of the Dragon, also joins the ensemble.
The film’s musical landscape will be shaped by composer Anthony Willis, who provides the score.
Charli XCX has contributed an album of original songs for the production, with two tracks already released to the public.
House and Chains of Love both debuted last month, coinciding with the trailer that sparked such fervent discussion among Brontë enthusiasts.