Wuthering Height’s director has broken her silence after her casting of Jacob Elordi has been called ‘whitewashing.’
Since it was published in 1847, Emily Bronte’s book has come to be seen as a masterpiece in English literature and picked apart in schools, colleges and universities.
But most recently, the name of the best-selling novel has blown up on social media after Emerald Fennell’s 2026 movie adaptation was announced.
The classic novel
The book has become an obsession for many readers and has proved popular in the movie world with at least 14 major movie adaptations.
The story covers the intense, but toxic, love between Catherine Earnshaw, a free-spirited teenager and Heathcliff, an orphan who is adopted into the Earnshaw family.
A love-hate relationship between two besotted young people is a storyline that sucks in audiences from across the world.
Since its release, Wuthering Heights has been internationally adapted for films based in India, Mexico, France, Japan, and Pakistan – to name a few.
The first adaptation was a silent film in 1920 directed by A. V. Bramble, and it has been followed by reconstructions for TV series, radio dramas, theatre, and operas.
It has even been converted into a musical called ‘Heathcliff’ which was starred in and directed by Cliff Richard. The show was a great night out for many middle-aged ladies, but apart from that it got some questionable reviews…
The controversial latest adaptation
Emerald Fennell’s adaptation could peak as the most controversial film of 2026.
The British director is known for her raunchy marmite movies such as Saltburn and Promising Young Woman, which divided audiences. Some loved her creative style, and others criticised her for cheapening sensitive subjects like s**ual assault and classism.
Some fans of the Victorian classic were concerned that her adaptation would stray away from authenticity of the book to appeal to 21st century audiences.
After watching the first screening in Dallas, Jordan Ruimy wrote for World of Reel exactly that – saying the movie was ‘hyper-s**ualised’ and ‘stripped of emotional nuance and full of salacious detours that serve shock value.’
Other movie reviewers echoed this disgust, with Lara Brown saying for The Spectator: “Fennell has channelled her creative instincts into a disturbing exercise in pointless destruction”.
Some critics took to X to fight the hate, saying it is a ‘god-tier new classic.’
Another user loved the new movie, saying: “A beautiful mess of passion, destruction, lust, revenge and unhinged behaviour. Throw the book away and step into the madness of undeniable chemistry and explosive toxic desire.”
The casting issues
A lot of the backlash has come from the casting.
When Australian heart-throbs Margot Robbie (Barbie) and Jacob Elordi (Elvis) were confirmed to be playing the lead roles of Catherine and Heathcliff, fans of the original book were in uproar.
Clarisse Loughrey tweeted: “Did anyone actually read the book before deciding this?”
Nicholas Barber writes for the BBC that Robbie and Elordi were only cast for their ‘popularity’ and ‘s** appeal’, emphasising they are ‘too glossy and glamorous for their roles’ and that they ‘belong on a red carpet, not in a muddy field.’
Vogue writer, Hannah Jackson, also indicated the historical inaccuracies in the wedding dress Margot Robbie wears in the Wuthering Heights.
She says, not only is the dress fit for the 1980s rather than the Victorian era, but at the time the novel was published, white wedding dresses weren’t a thing. Apparently, they didn’t become the tradition until Queen Victoria popularized them when she married Prince Albert in 1840 – 40 years before Bronte’s book.
Aside from the aesthetics being historically inaccurate, the age of Robbie and Elordi has also upset fans.
Despite Catherine and Heathcliff being teenagers during their heated romance in the book, Robbie is aged 35 and Elordi is 28.
A big part of the argument is that they have ‘iPhone faces’ which means when actors look to contemporary to be believable in a period drama – think perfect, white teeth, flawless skin and hair, and a chiselled gym-bod.
On a clip from the 2026 movie, one comment joked: “They surely had great dentists back then”.
It’s fair to say when it comes to Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi – they’re not far from this description…
But that’s not necessarily a bad thing! Some fans loved the casting choices, saying the two were ‘explosive together’ and ‘their chemistry leaps off the screen.’
Fans took to X to debate who they imagined in the roles of Catherine and Heathcliffe.
Some said Florence Pugh (Black Widow) and Cosmo Jarvis (Persuasion) were the perfect pair, after seeing them star in Lady Macbeth (2016) together.
The role of Heathcliff
Although many have criticised Elordi’s casting, Heathcliff has been portrayed by white actors in many adaptations before, by the likes of Laurence Olivier, Ralph Fiennes, and Tom Hardy.
In fact, the 2011 adaptation was the first to cast a black actor to play Heathcliffe.
In Andrea Arnold’s version, James Howson played Heathcliffe opposite Pirates of the Caribbean star, Kaya Scodelario.
Because of this progression, some fans feel that Emerald Fennell’s movie is a step backwards.
Jacob Elordi hasn’t yet responded to the backlash, but did say in an interview with Vogue Australia that he had initial doubts when he was cast as Heathcliffe, saying the role offer was ‘the first time I’d been like, “I don’t know if I’m good enough.”‘
However, his co-star Margot defended the decision to cast him, saying to the Guardian: “I saw him play Heathcliff, and he is Heathcliff. I’d say, just wait. Trust me, you’ll be happy.”
The whitewashing allegations
Not only are the actors older than the book characters, but they are also whiter.
In the novel, Heathcliff’s ‘dark skin’ is mentioned multiple times.
Many scholars have debated the ambiguity of Heathcliff’s racial ethnicity for years, with some concluding that he isn’t white.
Some say his non-whiteness was accounted for through him being ‘othered’ and mistreated in the story.
Bronte’s writing also indicates the common 19th century view of ‘the other’, with Heathcliff’s character being painted as violent and tormenting towards the fair skinned characters.
Wuthering Heights readers have also taken to social media to explain their frustrations at the miscasting of Jacob Elordi, with one X user saying: “The book doesn’t make sense if you think he’s white.”
The director speaks out
Emerald Fennell has defended her casting choice.
In an interview with BBC News, she said while filming Saltburn with Elordi, she suddenly realized that he ‘looked exactly like the illustration of Heathcliff on the first book that I read.’
The British director, who portrayed Camilla in Netflix’s The Crown, described how she ‘wanted to scream’ when she saw him act like Heathcliff, saying: “It seemed to me he had the thing… He’s a very surprising actor.”
She also talked about the casting controversy, saying: “I think the thing is, everyone who loves this book has such a personal connection to it, and so you can only ever kind of make the movie that you sort of imagined yourself when you read it.”
Fennell elaborated on her film’s difference to the book, saying: “So, I knew right from the get-go, I couldn’t ever hope to make anything that could even encompass the greatness of this book. All I could do was… I don’t know… make a movie that made me feel the way the book made me feel. And so, therefore, it just felt right to say it’s Wuthering Heights… and it isn’t! You know?”
She also put inverted commas around the title, making it “Wuthering Heights” to emphasise the 2026 movie as a personal interpretation of the much-loved book.
Disney Fans Are Threatening To Boycott New Lilo & Stitch Live-Action Remake
Tom Holland Fans Want Peter Parker To Have A Male Love Interest In Spider-Man 4
The post Wuthering Heights Director Finally Breaks Silence On Jacob Elordi’s ‘Whitewashed’ Casting appeared first on It’s Gone Viral.
Tags: #Wuthering #Heights #Director #Finally #Breaks #Silence #Jacob #Elordis #Whitewashed #Casting
