Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights Adaptation Sparks Casting Controversy

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A new film adaptation of Emily Brontë’s classic novel, Wuthering Heights, is drawing criticism, specifically regarding the casting of Jacob Elordi in the role of Heathcliff.

Okay, so I was reading online that a lot of critics think Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights would have been better played by an actor of color. But the people who really know the book – the literary experts – apparently have a different take, according to Variety.

Elordi addressed the recent controversy in an interview with ABC Sydney, praising director Emerald Fennell and pointing out that art is open to different interpretations.

He explained that this was Emerald’s take on the text, and he highly respected her as an artist, believing her work to be very significant.

The actor explained that his main focus during filming was to faithfully portray the story as written in the screenplay.

The movie, written by Fennell, came out in theaters on February 13th and has been called a romance. But many believe this is because the second half of the original story was left out of the film, which has upset some fans.

Much of the online criticism centers around the casting of Jacob Elordi, a white Australian actor, as Heathcliff, a character explicitly described in the book as having dark skin and Romani heritage.

Heathcliff first appears in the story as a young, homeless boy discovered on the streets of Liverpool. He spoke in an unintelligible language that no one could decipher.

In the film adaptation, the character Hindley insults Heathcliff, calling him an “imp of Satan,” a “beggarly interloper,” and a “little Lascar.” The term “Lascar” was a Victorian-era label for sailors from Southeast Asia.

The novel never explicitly states Heathcliff’s ethnicity, but it’s clear he was treated as an outsider due to his background, lack of formal education, and differing cultural norms.

Stories mention people from many different backgrounds and parts of the world, but their origins remain intentionally unclear – and some think that’s exactly how it was meant to be.

According to Victorian literature lecturer Claire O’Callaghan, the character’s deliberate ambiguity allows him to connect with a diverse group of people – those from various cultures and communities who experienced the effects of colonialism.

According to Victorian literature professor Andrea Kaston Tange, Jacob Elordi’s looks make him too obviously suited to the upper middle class for the role, making his casting a mistake.

Many critics believe this was a missed opportunity to hire a person of color to play the role.

Wuthering Heights starring Elordi and Margot Robbie is in theaters now.

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2026-02-15 21:48