What Emerald Fennell Has Said About “Wuthering Heights” Controversy

Whatever Wuthering Heights’ soul is made of, Emerald Fennell’s and Emily Brontë’s are not the same.

The new film adaptation of Wuthering Heights, starring Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff and Margot Robbie as Catherine, has faced a lot of criticism. The director has now explained her creative choices, including her decision to title the film “Wuthering Heights” using quotation marks.

In a recent interview with Fandango, Emerald admitted that adapting such a complex novel is nearly impossible. She clarified she wasn’t creating a direct adaptation of Wuthering Heights, but rather a new interpretation inspired by the story.

Many viewers who have read the original book have pointed out differences in the film, such as the altered ending, the symbolic representation of Cathy’s space using images of Margot’s skin, and the reduced role of the Isabella Linton character. Emerald Fennell, the director, has stated that her intention wasn’t to create a faithful adaptation of the source material.

She explained that the story she remembered wasn’t exactly how it actually happened. It was a version filled with what she wished had happened, so it felt like Wuthering Heights, but wasn’t quite the same.

Emerald has long dreamed of adapting the novel, but she didn’t find the right inspiration until working with Jacob on the 2024 film Saltburn, where she felt she’d found her version of Heathcliff.

Emerald Fennell remembered that Jacob Elordi, who played Felix in Saltburn, had a distinctive hairstyle with sideburns that was popular in the mid-2000s. When she first saw him with the haircut, she immediately thought he resembled the character Heathcliff from her old, well-loved copy of Wuthering Heights, a book she’d had since she was a teenager.

Some people are criticizing the casting choice, arguing that the author, Emily Brontë, may have originally intended Heathcliff—who is described as having dark skin—to be Black.

Emerald explained to The Hollywood Reporter that because the book resonates so deeply with each reader, a film adaptation can only ever be one person’s interpretation of it. When discussing her casting choices, she added that she was particularly drawn to the book’s exploration of complex and somewhat painful themes.

Margot, who also produced the film, always envisioned it as a departure from the book.

Margot Robbie explained to Fandango that she hadn’t read the original book before starting work on the movie. She described the film as an attempt to recreate the same emotional impact the book had on director Emerald Fennell when she first read it as a child.

For more of Margot’s interpretation, keep reading for her best “Wuthering Heights” press tour looks…

(TopMob News and Fandango are both part of the Versant Media family.)

She returned to Australia for the Sydney premiere on February 12th, wearing a stunning custom-made dress by Ashi Studio Couture with a classic, fitted silhouette.