Margot Robbie has defended director Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, which is facing criticism over casting and changes. Robbie, who plays Katherine Earnshaw opposite Jacob Elordi’s Heathcliff, called Fennell’s work “this generation’s Titanic” in an interview with Vogue magazine.
Margot Robbie defends the casting of Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff
Emily Brontë described Heathcliff as a “black man” in her 19th-century Gothic novel. Therefore, many readers of Brontë criticized the film’s casting director, Kharmel Cochrane, when he cast Australian actor Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff for Fennell’s adaptation.
Margot Robbie, who claimed to understand readers’ feelings, urged them to have confidence in Cochrane and Fennell’s judgment. “I saw him [Jacob Elordi] Play Heathcliff, and he is Heathcliff. I would say, just wait. Trust me, you’ll be happy,” said The Wolf of Wall Street actress.
People like Laurence Olivier, Richard Burton, Ralph Fiennes and Tom Hardy have played Heathcliff in the past. Robbie explained that it was “special” for Elordi to add his name to “this lineage of other great actors”.
“He’s incredible, and I believe in him so much. I honestly think he’s the Daniel Day-Lewis of our generation,” said the 35-year-old. One person wrote on Instagram that “the casting director should be shot”, Cochrane recently recalled.
He also requested the audience to be patient and trust the creative freedom of the director. He said, “Wait until you see it and then you can decide whether you want to shoot me or not.”
According to The Guardian, Cochrane insisted, “It’s just a book. It’s not based on real life. It’s all art.”
Also Read: Wuthering Heights: Here’s all you need to know about Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi’s 2026 film
Margot Robbie on playing Cathy in Wuthering Heights
Margot Robbie said that Kathy’s depth and complexity attracted her. For Robbie, the character was like a “puzzle” that he had to solve. “I either understood her or I didn’t, so that’s what attracted me to her. It’s this puzzle you have to solve,” Robbie told Vogue.
Fennell also argued that it was a smart decision to cast the Barbie star as Kathy, who is “willful, mean-spirited, a delectable sadist, a provocateur”.
“It’s hard to find that supersized star power. Margot comes with big dick energy. That’s what Kathy needs,” Fennell said. Robbie also praised Fennell’s treatment of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights.
He said that Fennell’s work had the potential to become “this generation’s Titanic”. Wuthering Heights will be released in theaters in February 2026.