Content warning: This article quotes language that may be considered offensive to Roma and Traveller communities
Just as we had all relatively recovered from Netflix’s decision to change the relationship between Dorian and Basil to that of brothers in their upcoming adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar-winning director Emerald Fennell announced her decision to cast actors Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie in her upcoming adaptation of Wuthering Heights.
Brontë’s 1847 novel is often regarded as a British literary classic, following the turbulent relationship between two families. Fennell allocating the beloved characters of Catherine and Heathcliff to the two Australian actors has resulted in what can only be called a public outcry, with Robbie’s age and the fact of Elordi being white at its forefront.
Whilst Heathcliff’s ethnicity is famously ambiguous in Emily Brontë’s novel, his description as “a dark- skinned g*psy”, his abandonment as a baby at a northern slave port, as well as a major plot point being the racist abuse he is subjected to by his adoptive family, all leads to the implication that he was not white. The Independent’s film critic Clarisse Loughrey even went as far to ask “Did anyone actually read the book before deciding this?”.
With the role previously accommodating actors Tom Hardy and Ralph Fiennes, the question of the chosen actors’ race seems to fall short. However, commenting on Elordi’s casting, Michael Stewart, director of Brontë’s Writing Centre, told The Daily Telegraph that “things are different now, the way we represent certain people in art and culture comes with a responsibility now that wasn’t there twenty years ago”. Essentially, the choice of casting doesn’t accommodate to the current cultural climate of increased casting scrutiny, failing to appreciate and work with the ambiguity given.
The fact of there being so many brilliant non-white Hollywood actors to choose from makes it even more disappointing, if not perverse. It also ignores the presence of imperialistic views within the text when Cathy’s family’s servant wonders whether “[Heathcliff’s] father was Emperor of China, and [his] mother an Indian queen.” Dev Patel being the forerunner of the online choice of replacement only incurs my wrath on this.
Whilst we can all agree that Margot Robbie does not look a day over 25, being cast as someone in their late teens at 34 is confusing. Robbie’s part, Catherine Earnshaw, being estimated 18 or 19 years old at her death makes Fennell’s casting seem even more like an attempt to use faces that are guaranteed a large audience and taking away opportunities from potential rising young talent. What part of Brontë’s characterisation of Catherine made Fennell say “let’s cast Barbie!”? Has the need to gain a large viewership taken over the desire to credit the original material used?
Having worked with Elordi in the 2023 BAFTA nominated film Saltburn, Fennell may be going down the Christopher Nolan route of coveting her personal favourites. Laurence Olivier being 30 whilst performing the same role in the 1939 adaptation provides the argument that she’s following a Hollywood trend. Yet, this still doesn’t distract from my discomfort.
At the very least, Elordi and Robbie are brilliant actors that I don’t doubt will somehow turn this unfortunate casting into something worth watching. Even if it is just to laugh at their Yorkshire accents.
