Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie star in a new take on Wuthering Heights, directed by Saltburn’s Emerald Fennell. The trailer dropped only days ago and has been attracting backlash ever since, with some even calling it distasteful and likening it to soft porn. The novel tells the story of Heathcliff, an orphan taken in by the Earnshaw family, who falls in love with his foster sister Catherine. When Catherine marries someone else, Heathcliff’s obsession drives him to a dark path of revenge and destruction.
Why is Wuthering Heights facing backlash?
Emily Brontë’s 1847 novel is a Gothic classic that has been adapted countless times over the years. When the new film was announced in September 2024 with Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie in the lead, fans immediately were opposed to the idea, pointing out clear discrepancies in the characters and the overall aesthetic. “I wish I did not live to see the day Wuthering Heights, a beautiful Gothic novel about generational trauma with themes of race, class, religion, mental illness, abuse, etc., was adapted into a whitewashed dark romance BookTok bodice ripper with a hyperpop soundtrack,” one critic wrote at the time.
But this is not the only reason why fans are upset. In the book, Heathcliff is described as “dark-skinned,” and many believe a person of colour should have played the part. Elordi, who is white, takes on the role, and while it’s not the first time the character has been whitewashed on screen — Tom Hardy, Ralph Fiennes, James Howson have played the character in the past — fans argue this spoils the story’s most important aspects. Some even called it outright “whitewashing” and a “fundamental misunderstanding” of the novel.
The age factor of the leads is another factor stirring controversy. In the novel, Catherine and Heathcliff are teenagers. Catherine dies young, at around 19. Meanwhile, the Barbie actor is 34 years old and and Jacob Elordi is 27. Critics argue that Catherine’s youth is essential to understanding her choices and tragic fate.
Also read: 5 books that prove revenge is a dish best served cold
The teaser trailer shocked everyone. Instead of highlighting the Gothic darkness and generational trauma, it drove straight into erotic, sensual imagery, with plenty of shirtless Jacob Elordi scenes that fans immediately compared to Fifty Shades of Grey or Bridgerton, saying it looked more like “soft porn” than an adaptation of Brontë’s novel. The trailer is set against Charli XCX’s “Everything is Romantic.” “This has nothing to do with Wuthering Heights, looks more like a bodice-ripper/Bridgerton adaptation. Idk what Fennell was thinking, it’s truly horrendous and insulting to the source material,” one person wrote online. “So they made Heathcliff white, Catherine blonde, and added soft porn, this isn’t Wuthering Heights lol,” another added.
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Charli XCX’s “Everything Is Romantic,” which she wrote for the film, was blasted by fans who opposed the idea of using a modern hyperpop track in a story set in the 1800s, saying it made the movie feel romantic and trendy instead of dark and tragic.
Last but not least, Catherine’s look has fans fuming. She’s remembered as a dark-haired teenager, but Margot Robbie shows up blonde, older, and even wearing a modern-looking wedding dress in the first-look shots. Wuthering Heights will be released in theatres on Valentine’s Day.
This isn’t the first time Emerald Fennell’s work has come under fire. His last film, Saltburn drew outrage for its explicit and shocking moments. This includes the infamous bathwater scene to a character having sex with a grave. Before that, Promising Young Woman sparked heated debate over its ending and how the movie handled the sexual assault theme. Some critics and viewers argued that the protagonist’s death undercut the film’s feminist message
