Emerald Fennell defends choice of casting for "Wuthering Heights"

Writer: Heidi Hsia

Fans of the book have expressed frustration over the casting decision

1 Oct - Emerald Fennell has recently responded to the backlash of her casting decision for the adaptation of "Wuthering Heights", which many criticised for not being true to the book.

In a recent interview, Fennell, known for movies like "Saltburn" and "Promising Young Woman", said that she wanted to make something that made her feel how she felt when she was 14 reading the book for the first time, which was the reason why she cast Jacob Elordi in the role of Heathcliff.

Despite the character being described as having dark skin in the Emily Bronte book, Fennell said she chose Elordi because "he looked exactly like the illustration of Heathcliff on the first book" that she read.

"And it was so awful because I so wanted to scream. Not the professional thing to do, obviously," she said. "I had been thinking about making [Wuthering Heights], and it seemed to me he had the thing ... he's a very surprising actor."

Emerald Fennell defends her choice of casting for the movie

As for casting Margot Robbie in the role of Catherine Earnshaw, who was supposed to be a teenager in the book, Fennell said, "She is so beautiful and interesting and surprising, and she is the type of person who, like Cathy, could get away with anything."

"I think honestly she could commit a killing spree and nobody would mind. And that is who Cathy is to me. Cathy is somebody who just pushes to see how far she can go. So, it needed somebody like Margot, who's a star, not just an incredible actress - which she is - but somebody who has a power, an otherworldly power, a Godlike power, that means people lose their minds," she expressed.

Margot Robbie plays the wild spirited Cathy